Actor fights charge filed in New Jersey over prop pellet gun used in film

An actor who played a bit part in an independent gangster film is now facing 10 years in New Jersey state prison because he used a prop pellet gun without a state gun permit.

Carlo Goias, whose stage name is Carlo Bellario, was charged under New Jersey’s strict gun statute. It requires permits for firearms, including the airsoft gun that Goias used while filming a car chase scene.

Goias rejected a plea deal offer on Tuesday that could have sent him to jail for less than a year. He faces up to a decade behind bars because of prior felony convictions that prosecutors say include theft and burglary.

Some state lawmakers say the case is an example why New Jersey needs to change its gun laws.

Airsoft guns fire nonlethal plastic pellets.