Friday, March 30, 2007

Beaverton Airsoft Ordinance Takes Effect March 31

The City of Beaverton’s Airsoft ordinance that outlaws Airsoft guns, which look like real firearms but use compressed air to shoot plastic pellets, in public places will take effect on Saturday, March 31.
Beaverton police said the ordinance launch will be followed by a 30-day public information campaign before actual enforcement begins on May 1.
The Beaverton Police Department will be distributing brochures to schools and businesses in the Beaverton area that sell Airsoft replica guns that explains the dangers of using the firearms in an unsafe manner
Beaverton is the first city in Oregon to adopt the ban.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Using Airsoft Guns for Self Defense

Using an airsoft gun as home protection does not usually come to the mind when thinking about home protection. More traditional is a home security system or a real gun. But let's look at the negative sides of those two options (there are other things, but I'll just focus on these two). I first would like to say that the home security system is definitely the best way to go, and the only real downside is the price. You have to pay a large monthly or yearly charge in order to keep the service, and that can make a big dent in your budget. And let's be real, you do not need the actual system as long as you have the sign on the front of your lawn. If you have the money, the security service is the best route to take, but of course a real or airsoft gun could be used as a backup. The problem with real guns is that, according to statistics, they kill more people than they protect, in the case of home protection. Also, you are supposed to keep the ammo and the gun in separate places, which is worthless in an emergency. Imagine a guy waking up to a burglar, reaching for his gun, and remembering the ammo is in the basement. What a horrible feeling that would be!
An airsoft gun is the perfect alternative to a real gun. While, of course, it does not have the power a real gun has, it still is an effective defense weapon. You don't need to seriously injure someone or kill them to stop them. However, a spring gun would not do well enough, because you would need to fire multiple times. You may be worried, if the assailant has a real gun, that he would be able to defeat you. This is not true. While it cannot be argued that he would have an advantage, you can still easily "win". If you shoot someone in the face once with an airsoft gun, they will immediately reach up to their face, even if they have a real gun. It really only take shot, because getting shot in the face with anything hurts A LOT, and the burglar will be stunned for a good while (only a few seconds, but in the moment, enough). This gives you time to run up and give a hit large enough to knock him out or disable him. The airsoft method should be used in conjunction with a bat, to be sure that you completely disable the assailant. The reason you should not use a spring gun is because one, they are not that powerful and would not hurt as bad, and two, if you miss, you cannot afford to re-cock the spring.
I bet all of this seems like a lot of trouble when you could simply kill the guy. Keep in mind that real guns are incredibly dangerous, and as mentioned, hurt more people then they protect. Also, you get into a lot more legal trouble if you kill someone, even if it self-defense. Not to mention, shooting someone makes a lot of blood, and then you have to worry about cleaning all that off your wall and carpet/floor (that's a joke).
Even if you have a safe neighborhood, something bad can happen at anytime. There are times when you might not feel safe for some reason. Having an airsoft gun can make your home feel safer; it does not have the serious damage capacity of a real gun, but it will work in an emergency. On dark and stormy nights, a simple airsoft gun can make the difference between feeling scared or calm.

Monday, March 26, 2007

TV station lies to the public about Airsoft Guns

Not that this is news - you just won't hear it anywhere except, perhaps, here.

A "News Station" calling itself NewsChannel5.com (WTVF in Nashville, TN) reported the following:

Toy Guns Illegal in Hendersonville

The story reports that several teenagers were cited for firing "air soft pellet guns" in Hendersonville, Tennessee, defying the town's "tough stand on toy guns."

They then cited ordinance 11-601, which makes it illegal to fire any airgun, air pistol air rifle or even BB gun in the city limits. (It's also illegal to throw a snowball maliciously!)

Right there - they lied, because their headline says toy guns are illegal in Hendersonville. In fact, the ordinance says no such thing. It is a commonsense law about not discharging an airgun (it's one word, WTVF!) within the city limits. In fact, the majority of incorporated communities in the U.S. have a similar law. News Channel 5 might as well have reported the rising of the sun!

We called the Hendersonville police department to ask specifically if toy guns (meaning airsoft guns, in this case - another one-worder, WTVF) are illegal. THEY ARE NOT ILLEGAL. Second lie. Actually, it's the same lie, but told a different way. Clever, these new age doublethink specialists.

The officer we spoke with said the teens were running down the street firing airsoft guns at each other and ended up in a school yard. In other words, they were having an impromptu skirmish. In reality, they broke the law by brandishing their guns in public. The officer said the boys were very close to a sanctioned paintball field and wondered why they didn't just go there. Contrary to what WTVF says, shooting guns in Hendersonville is perfectly legal at the paintball field and in private residences. And, like every other community in America, you can't run up and down the street shooting or sit on your front porch and start popping your gun!

The report tried to explain airsoft by saying the guns fire "tiny plastic beads" and can be purchased at stores like the K-Mart in Hendersonville. They couldn't very well report that the guns fire 6mm BBs, because they have to assume their viewing audience is as dense as the reporter who writes the story. They further reported that the store has no notice or information on the ordinance against firing the guns. Wow! Imagine that! And, I suppose that the television sets in the News Channel 5 broadcast area have no notice on them regarding the possible invalidity or outright falsification of their news reports!

Well, here's another headline for you:

Nashville's News Channel 5 Not Cited For Fraudulent Reporting of Toy Gun Story

Let's see how they like it!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

ROTC Cadets Practice Combat Tactics, Students train for realistic combat situations using Airsoft weapons

Cal State Fullerton's ROTC cadets gathered at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base to participate in a training exercise and a day of fun.

The cadets practiced their tactics in an urban setting. The Military Operations on Urban Terrain facility consisted of an empty neighborhood of two-story buildings that allowed the cadets to maneuver and train in a dynamic environment.

"It gives them a more realistic view of what they are actually going to be doing," said Rory Patterson, 27, business major. "When we train on campus, there are no real obstacles there. If you are thinking of the majority of deployments in the world right now, they are in an urban environment. It's nice to be able to come out here and train in scenarios you're actually going to face."

Patterson is among the seniors who observed and instructed the younger cadets during the course of their training.

The cadets used Airsoft guns in the training exercise that allow them to literally feel when they made a mistake. The guns, which shoot plastic pellets, allowed the cadets to get into simulated firefights with opposing forces. The guns also provided an element of fun.

The guns helped cadets simulate combat that they might face after

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graduation. The use of Airsoft brings the training to a new level.

While cadets from previous semesters had used paintball guns, the ROTC program decided to give the pellet guns a try.

"We used to do paintball but it got so expensive as we started to increase in cadets," Lt. Col. William Howard said. "It was too expensive. This is much easier. Even though we are doing tactics and making it more realistic, it's also primarily just for fun. They love this."

"Our original plan was paintball, but we didn't have enough funds for that," said Freddie Do, 24, business major. "We decided to spend a one-time deal of $1600 on the Airsoft guns for more realistic training."

Do said the training exercises would help cadets hone their skills, learn how to move from building to building, and clear rooms when opposing forces are in them.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Airsoft Rant - LONG

New Rant Regarding "AirSoft"
I will never understand why today I am bothering to write this rant. As the people it's meant to reach out to are too brainwashed by all the propaganda surrounding it's community to even consider something other than the crap they've been telling themselves since the brief history of time. This is gonna be a very long one so if this is something you don't know or care about, don't bother with it. However if your into airsoft or are interested in what I have to say, I think it's well worth the read. At the bottom there will be a brief summary which you can read instead of the entire rant. The rant is for detailed information and humorous purposes only, and is not needed to get the general point. With that aside, onto the rant.
Please not this entry is based entirely on my own opinion and people make their own choices. I am not responcible for what another person chooses to do.

Airsofter hobbyists who will stop at nothing to destroy "backyard airsofting" tick me off to no end. They believe that brandishing a "replica firearm" in the slightest shred of public view at all is an awful and terrible sin clearly stated in the Bible of AirSoft. Section 1:1 "How not to be a nOOb". This to some extent, is in fact understandable. It's not a good idea for a couple kids to be running around at the park with realistic black or silver guns. That's just asking to scare people and have the cops come. But if they have a decent sized orange tip, or even better, they are clear or transparent, and have a velocity of 315 fps or below, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG with a quick game at a field, in the woods, at a little creek, or perhaps even at a run down old park that dosn't get much pedestrians or traffic, your friend's yard or something like that. Granted your really still not supposed to do it, but personaly I find that there really isn't any harm in it. They are harmless plastic toys. Nobody is gonna see a few kids with a few clear guns at some useless place like that and start foaming at the mouth asking the senate to ban airsoft guns. News flash! Most people who don't actualy play themselves don't even know nor care about airsoft or airsoft guns! Rather than mistaking them to be a firearm, one of two things will probably happen: They will probably think it's some cap gun piece of crap from Toys R Us. Or they, like most people, have heard of pellet and BB guns and will dismiss it as nothing more, especialy after seeing the gun's discharge and only hearing something vaguely resembling a fart. No boom. For god's sake, it's T R A N S P A R E N T. Saying that using clear airsoft guns can scare people is ridiculous. I mean, there are water guns, toy guns, blank guns, cap guns, just to name a few. All of which, I might add, are either Clear, Black, Silver, Chrome or Neon colored! You gonna ask people not to play with those too? Your basicaly asking every kid to put down every toy gun they own, which is an outrageous concept. What's actualy hurting airsoft, are people with black guns who remove the orange blaze to purposfuly scare people, they get their punishment eventualy for it. It's not your problem, don't make such a big deal about it every time it happens and nobody else will. It's just another minor playing a sick joke, happens every day, always will. If they can't use airsoft guns they'll use pocket knives, spraypaint a bubble gun, or something to that effect. There is nothing you can do about it. Get over it.
What also hurts airsoft are some of the actual airsoft players themselves who make such a big deal about cheap springers. When the people and government see that a community is making a fuss about it's own fellow members and guns or items that they use, do you honestly think that helps either? You need to chill out! It's a plastic toy that is relatively harmless. What are you, some kind of hippy? Get over it.
But, alas, they are just looking out for their fellow community and looking out for the idea of being able to play airsoft. Although I don't think they are very smart or good at it. They don't understand "community". All they really want is to able to still shoot off their expensive Classic Armies at designated fields like a good little scout. If that's the case they have nothing to worry about and should stop worrying about AirSoft bans. They don't care about everyday people on low budgets who are just looking for a bit of fun with a springer or electric pistol. They should also think of the right for other people to play airsoft. Not everyone should have to afford a $250+ Automatic electric airsoft gun and have to go to a designated field just to use it. And suppose they are made with the intention of people actualy buying those expensive guns and playing them at expensive places, who in the hell made them Leader of the line? "Professional Hobbyist" does not translate to "Politician". It's not up to the big players to decide what you do. If people want to play with a few springers or cheap electric pistols, that's their choice. They payed for it. Leave them alone. They have just as much right to play as you do. Who's hurting the community more, a few quiet and responcible people who buy a few cheap airsoft guns for some innocent fun or frankly, an utterly annoying flock of supposed professionals picking on everyone else that dosn't meet their Holy standards? Funny how they complain about the Government getting ever so tighter on AirSoft laws but boss around anyone who admits to the horendous crime of playing outside a special field. Or maybe pick on anyone who uses the Cybergun brand. Hypocrite.
Mostly all paintball guns are black/silver and are considered by many to be more painful, and they stain things, leave splats and spots. And you don't see anywhere near as much senseless complaining and whining as you generaly will with airsoft. In past times, every kid had himself an air gun hanged up on his bedroom wall or something similar. They shot at much higher velocities, shot metal BB pellets, and were in rare cases possibly lethal. Yet Nobody cared, know why? Because the majority was responcible with them. That alone says enough.
What REALLY gets me, are the morons who actualy will tell someone that using a harmless airsoft gun in their own backyard is dangerous and is a harm to the airsoft community. That of course, is total BULLCRAP. This is again, propaganda from stuck up hobbyists who probably do very strange things down the barrel of their totaly pimped out Tokyo Marui. It's a T-O-Y. Toy. If the orange blaze is present, or it's a clear gun, your playing quietly in your own backyard shooting at a target or soda can, nobody is gonna bother you! If they do, it's because they are purposfuly being a prick. There are guns made for "plinking" for a reason. In the unlikely event law enforcement show up, they are trained to ask to you to freeze and are NOT supposed to shoot you in a lethal area unless they have to. The second you hear "Freeze!" like you SHOULD, you drop the gun right away, turn around, and explain that it's a toy. This is assuming they didn't already see the orange tip that COMES ATTACHED TO ALL TOY GUNS BY DEFAULT SO PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE FAKE. You should always be accompanied by an adult if your gonna use your airsoft gun in your backyard or wherever, or be an adult for that matter. If you have common sense, have read and follow the safety precautions, and like said before, have an adult present, there is nothing wrong with using something you or your family paid for in the PRIVACY of your own property. Don't let a few geeks who spend hundreds perhaps even thousands of dollars on mere airsoft guns tell you what to do under the watch of your parents or in your home! You let yourself, being an adult, or your parents, being a kid, decide!
Next, are people who sit there and criticize Cybergun and "nOOb" springers. This isn't a very smart thing for them to do. Granted cybergun is a shafty company, but you should write them yourself and tell them your not happy, and/or silently tell your friends or whatever that you don't support or recommend that company. According to these same people, we're lucky we still have airsoft. If that's the case, don't go humiliating and criticizing the few companies who are still out there to produce these supposed controversial products. Shouting all kinds of boycott nonsense and rubbish like some do. Real smart. I'm sure that's doing lots of good for the community as well.
So to sum it all up here are some things you should consider fixing if people honestly believe airsoft will get banned for some reason or another:
1. Stop bossing everyone around and telling them what to buy, where to use it, and how. You arn't the law. That's not looking good for airsoft.
2. Stop making a big fuss everytime some dork get's busted for frightening people with an airsoft gun. All your doing is further spreading word of the incident, making it look like a much bigger problem than it is, and no matter what dumb rule book you cook up, people are gonna do what they want. If it's not an airsoft gun they'll find something else in the shape or form of a gun to scare people with.
3. For god's sake stop screaming all kinds of boycott garbage about Cybergun, KWC, and Crosman products. That dosn't help either. Some people call or consider Airsoft a sport. Well, I haven't seen anyone grumble about using a Wilson basketball, see what I'm saying?
4. Be responcible with your airsoft guns, and show that your responcible. Teach your friends and fellow players to be responcible and use common sense.
5. Write your government if you don't like what see about airsoft and law. Explain to them why you think they are making a bad move. Don't join the crowd and boss around, push and shove all the newbs because you think it's the only difference you can make. And if it is, you have no place bothering in my opinion.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Beaverton adopts state’s first replica airsoft gun ban

BEAVERTON – It’s official: Airsoft guns and other realistic looking toy firearms are prohibited in Beaverton’s public places.
The City Council passed a new ordinance Monday night regulating the use and possession of replica firearms in public.
It goes into effect March 31 following a public outreach effort by the Beaverton Police Department, Beaverton School District and city to educate students and families about the new rules.
“In passing this ordinance we are being proactive and taking a step in the right direction before a tragedy happens,” said Beaverton Police Chief David Bishop. “We’re hoping it will deter some people from displaying these guns in public and causing alarm.”
In the next month, Officers Andrew Halbert and Mike Hanada will launch an education campaign and distribute brochures about the ordinance to community partners.
The approved ordinance regulates possession of replica firearms in public places including highways, streets, schools, places of amusement, parks, playgrounds, public transportation centers and common areas of apartments and hotels.
Under the ordinance, a replica firearm is any toy or imitation that substantially duplicates a lethal firearm or can reasonably be perceived to be an actual firearm.
The rules would not apply to brightly colored toy guns or those constructed of transparent or translucent materials.
It also does not restrict the use of replica guns on private property, including backyards.
Anyone violating the ordinance could get a citation.
Beaverton is the first Oregon city to adopt a replica gun ban for public places.