+1 for ATF, 0 for Airsoft. 'Toy' rifles seized by federal agents in Tacoma

Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Tacoma seized a shipment of 30 toy M-4 automatic rifles that had arrived on Oct. 20 in a 40-foot ocean container.

The shipment's manifest listed the contents as "Toys and Parts" and was shipped from a manufacturer in Taiwan, according to a Customs and Border Protection news release. The rifles were the same size, weight and look of an M-4 automatic rifle, which is used by the U.S. military. The rifles had no serial numbers and did not have an orange-blaze tip which is required for all imported of toy guns.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) tested the files and determined they were tooled to shoot plastic balls. However, ATF also found that the internal components could easily be refitted with original machine gun components, making the rifles capable of firing live ammunition. ATF lab results indicated the rifle to be a WE-Tech, Model AWSS M4CQBR, Airsoft M-4 copy.

ATF also confirmed the shipment did not arrive with the proper permits to enter the U.S.

The machine guns were turned over to the ATF to be destroyed.

"These rifles could have had far-reaching and potentially devastating ramifications if they had gotten into the hands of individuals who wanted to do harm in the American population", Customs and Border Protection Area Port Director Rolando Suliveras Jr. said in a news release.

Using Airsoft to Teach Your Son about Gun Safety

Real guns are very dangerous, and a lot of people die every year in America due to gun accidents, usually involving kids playing with their father’s guns. But all of this can be avoided if your kids know about the danger of guns, and have knowledge of the safety devices and techniques that will protect them from danger.

Using Airsoft Guns as a Precursor
That is where getting an airsoft pistol or rifle for your son can come in very handy. Especially if you purchase a higher end airsoft gun, you will get the look and feel of the real pistol in an airsoft gun, and you can show your son how the internal and external safety features work, how to keep the weapon pointed away from people, pointed down at the ground when moving, and ensuring that the weapon isn’t loaded when in storage. These are all great tips that the youngster must learn before touching a real gun.

Airsoft guns also feature the unmistakable blaze orange tip that will enable you to easily tell the difference between the airsoft gun, and the real gun. Also, you will be able to teach your son how to shoot accurately, timely, and know exactly how to load and unload the weapon quickly. The more knowledge they have, the better the chances are of avoiding a catastrophe.

Be sure to always keep your guns locked away, especially while the kids are home alone and you aren\’t there to make sure they stay out of your gun closet. A combination lock on a vault that is bolted to the floor provides very difficult access along with protection from being moved or tipped over. But even with the best teaching, accidents can still happen, and you don\’t want to face the consequences of such accidents. Take all the precautions possible.Sarah specializing in electric air pistols, gas air pistols, and other air pistols is a fan of the intelligence that the sport has to offer. Team play combined with leadership separate it from many other games.

Airsoft Guns Provide A Unique Way To Play Soldier.

these reproduction firearms got popular in Japan and other parts of the orient and Europe and then eventually found their way to the United States. Although they were original intended to satisfy collectors they have since become an important part of a worldwide craze.

While they are mostly manufactured in Asia airsoft guns are available in all parts of the world. However regulation has made it necessary within the United States for any airsoft firearms to have a distinguishing orange mark or cap on them. This is so that they are easily identifiable and can be distinguished from the real thing.

Police department and military training units have started to recognize the feasibility of airsoft guns as usable for training exercises. Manufactured in identical size and weight these weapons provide a relatively inexpensive alternative to using authentic firearms.

Many methods of play have developed using airsoft guns. Perhaps the most popular of these is known as MilSim or military simulation. Military simulation is basically a hard core game set up around military missions with teams that play against each other. These serious players often go as far as to use rations, explosives and radios.

With replica m16’s and other traditional military weapons these battles can often look like the real thing since players are often required to dress in particular military uniforms. In other cases the players wear regular civilian clothing rather than fatigues. These skirmishes where the players wear civilian clothing are called skirmish in silly kit or SISK.

Players have to be honest when it comes to whether they have been hit since airsoft pellets are small rubber balls and not paint packed balls, as is used in paint ball guns. Paint ball is another popular war like game played with authentic looking guns that fire paint balls that leave marks on their targets and victims. Since Airsoft ammunition does not leave these marks often it is up to the player to admit that they have been hit.

Due to the exactness of these guns some areas have restricted their use, such as large inner cities. In the United States these guns are required to contain orange markings that are permanent. So they can be quickly distinguished from authentic fire-arms.

These mock-up semi-automatics can be found at many retail outlets and can be commonly found at flea markets and swap meets. Another popular way to locate these weapons is at kiosks in malls and even at some sporting goods retailers. Airsoft guns can also be found via the internet at a variety of retailers that over large selections of guns and other associated items.

Author Information: Anthoy Carter is very into the sport of airsoft and is very knowlegdeable about airsoft guns. Visit this website to find the best place to find airsoft guns.

Teen of the Week: Teen juggles academics, sports, unique hobbies; like airsoft

If there is a different way of getting directly from point A to point B, you can bet Victor Alexander Fernandes of Arnold has already done it.

When he isn't warming up for Broadneck High School's outdoor track team meets in the spring, the 17-year-old Arnold youth, a Broadneck senior, is an avid practitioner of free running and parkour.

Never heard of them? The two are not new. In the past decade, these athletic activities have been depicted in a number of action flicks and have a global network of enthusiasts. Free running and parkour are two non-competitive methods of running along a set route in the most efficient way possible while using one's body and the environment to get over any obstacles in the way, like low walls or picnic tables. No fancy pads, no helmets, no tools. Free running is a form of urban acrobatics. Think of it as skateboarding without the skateboard.

Victor is also a skilled stilt-walker and unicyclist. In years past, he's trick-or-treated on stilts he made himself. Or, wearing a costume he designed and stitched, Victor unicycles through Severna Park during that town's annual Fourth of July parade. Victor is usually juggling a collection of steel mesh balls. Yup, he made those, too.

"They're made of hundreds of small rings," Victor explained, showing off the hacky-sack balls he's covered with a skin of hand-made chain mail. In addition, Victor creates long, snakelike necklaces or beautiful, dangly earrings of small, intertwined rings. Each ring has been pried apart with needle-nosed pliers and linked with other rings in an intricate mesh design.

The Renaissance Festival in Crownsville has made good use of his energy. On autumn weekends when he's available, Victor is in the festival's juggling booth teaching passers-by to juggle.

Heather Nealy Torosino, the booth manager, said: "He's wonderful. Even before he was officially employed there, he'd hang out and help people who were learning. He'd help us cover breaks if it was a little tough. He's a great teacher. Victor just keeps working with people until they get it, and he's fun too!"

The Fernandes family has a history of RennFest employment and enjoyment. His father, John, a Class of 1982 Naval Academy grad who works for a federal agency, has served as the money counter. Sister Andrea, 23, a writer for Mental Floss magazine, is a souvenir booth manager. Middle sister Juliana, 21, who is pursuing a master's degree in architecture at Roger Williams University, spent two seasons at the festival. And sister Christy, currently attending Union County College in New Jersey, has labored as a "bubble fairy."

His mother Terry, an editor-researcher for the Office of Naval Intelligence, has her hands full as a Bruins Music booster. Brother JC, 19, is a sophomore at West Point..

Victor also moves by marching - he was a valued member of the Bruin's award-winning marching band. A member all four years, he was the brass captain and section leader this past fall. Victor plays the baritone, a low brass horn.

"Victor is so funny," exclaimed Sandra Balderson, chair of the music department. "He is calm, yet works hard and always surprises me. Just when I think he's not listening, he comes up with an answer that convinces me that indeed he was right there with us. He has a delightful sense of humor that just pulls everyone in.

Marching band director and instrumental music instructor Matt Heist adds: "Victor has a fun personality that causes people to want to be around him. He is very dedicated and selfless. He knows what it means to be a 'team player.' "

Airsoft is another of Victor's many interests. It is a simulated warfare game similar to paint ball, but the Airsoft guns fire plastic BB pellets instead of paint-filled balls. It's a great way learn gun safety and improve shooting markmenship.

Victor doesn't drop the ball when it comes to academics either. He earned a perfect SAT verbal score of 800. His combined score is 2280, placing him among the top one percent of all SAT test-takers in 2009. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Tri-M National Music Honors Society, and is an AP Distinguished Scholar.

Next fall, Victor hopes to attend a small university with a good engineering program, possibly on an Army ROTC scholarship. He is juggling application paperwork for three colleges. Down the road, Victor "hopes to get a job designing after market parts for hot rods."

His real passion, it turns out, is fixing up cars that rolled down Detroit assembly lines years before he was born. A couple years ago, he put a new engine with a used V6 into an '84 Ford LTD. Next, he restored a '66 Ford Mustang, which he traded for a '76 Chevy Nova he found on CraigsList.com. His dream is to eventually own a '72 Pontiac Firebird Formula.

"It's the best-looking car made by Pontiac," Victor said. "With after-market parts, it can be made into an extremely fast car."

Despite piles of schoolwork and all his interests, Victor has a steady girlfriend, too. Somehow, he manages to juggle everything seamlessly.