After a rash of West Seattle drive-by pellet gun shootings in August, and the subsequent arrest of three 17-year-olds in connection with the shootings, it appears the reign of muted terror is back: On Saturday, September 24 at 5:29 a.m., officers responded to a call from a woman who reported being the victim of a drive-by airsoft pellet gun shooting in the Central District.

According to the police report, the woman stated that she was walking to work at the ungodly hour of 4:45 a.m. when a "maroon 80's style boxy 4 door car with tinted windows" drove past her in the area of 23rd Avenue East and East John Street. The woman told police that the car then pulled a partial U-turn at the intersection, putting her in the position of walking towards the driver's door. At which point, the report states that the driver allegedly "pointed a gun at her and fired" before speeding off. The victim said that "the pellet grazed her right pant leg, but did not hit her fully on the leg." The victim was understandably "startled" and "afraid."

Sure, airsoft pellet guns—which shoot plastic BBs using gas or air—sound like toys in comparison with "real" guns, but it's important to note that a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms classifies airsoft pellet guns as firearms. And when you're walking down the street and someone points an airsoft gun at you there's no time to process whether or not it's a real gun. Have you seen an airsoft gun? They look pretty fucking real to me.

The victim also told officers that when she arrived at work, "an intoxicated male was outside of the store and stated that he had [also] been shot," but the man left the area before officers arrived. Even though the man was never interviewed, the fact that another person claimed to have been shot indicates that this was not an isolated incident.

I'm racking my brain for rational reasons to drive around looking for people to shoot with airsoft guns. Were these young men looking for big game? It seems to me that they're just alleged assholes. I am generally a nice person but I hope that each one of them gets a swift airsoft kick in the balls.