Mounties advise leaving 'gunbrellas' home

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RICHMOND, British Columbia, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Canadian police urged the public to think twice about walking around on rainy days carrying an umbrella made to look like a rifle.

The harmless but alarming umbrella brought police to a bus stop in Richmond, B.C., after commuters saw a man who appeared to have a genuine rifle over his shoulder.

There were some tense moments as the mistake was sorted out, and police said things could have ended tragically had the man made a sudden move, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

"If it appeared that he was actually shouldering the rifle — if our officers believed he was about to fire — I mean, our officers would have no choice," said Richmond RCMP Sgt. Sherrdean Turley.

CBC News said the store where the so-called gunbrella was sold decided to discontinue the line.