Japan Train commute with Airsoft Guns

Folks over here like to keep themselves occupied on the trains. Some school girls sit on the floor eating and having conversations with their classmates, some fidget with their mobile phone and then there are some who polish their rifles...

I usually pass the time by looking out the window at the scenery or use the time to do some spring cleaning in my brain. If I'm not doing that then I'm watching anime on the iPod. How do you pass time on your commute to school/work?

What a different world and culture results in such difference. A person in the US with an airsoft sniper rifle sitting in the middle of the train would result in a catastrophic shut down and the SWAT team.

Airsoft arena a new part of Southern California

Two brothers are making plans to expand their Airsoft Business in Southern California.

The store, operated by Kelly Monson and his brother Travis, currently sells airsoft guns, replacement parts, protective gear and airsoft accessories. The Monson brothers plan to expand their business by building a 12,000 square foot indoor battle arena in the warehouse behind their store.

Kelly Monson said the arena is to be built as an urban cityscape where groups of up to 24 people can engage in simulated warfare.

“We will provide all the guns and protective equipment at the arena for groups who want to come play,” Kelly said.

Kelly said that airsoft is similar to laser tag and paintball but there are definite advantages to airsoft that the other two do not provide.

“Airsoft guns shoot projectiles and are more realistic looking than laser and paintball guns,” he said.

Kelly said one of the other features of the airsoft business is that individuals can play, not just groups of people. Weapon Bender will provide employees to battle against individuals so people do not have to have a group on hand to participate.

Kelly said the airsoft arena is designed to provide college students with entertainment and could be an interesting date night activity.

“Our target audience [is] males ages 18-36, but definitely airsoft can provide entertainment for all ages and types of people,” Kelly said.

According to Kelly they are planning on having the arena open around the end of April or May. Arena hours are scheduled to be from 3 - 10 p.m.

Sean Cornwell, a junior in the engineering program, said he thinks the airsoft arena will be a great addition to the college entertainment found in the Provo and Orem area.

“I know lots of guys that have airsoft guns and to have a course to battle on would be great,” Cornwell said. “It would prevent me and my roommates from putting holes in our walls.”

Visit them at www.airsoftplayground.com

Teen toting air soft rifle in car gets arrested

Racine, WI – A teen, who had an air rifle with him in a car, was arrested after police and other drivers called in saying it looked real.

The boy’s actions also prompted several law enforcement agencies to respond to what they thought was a high-risk traffic stop Friday afternoon.

Michael Westmoreland, 17, was a passenger in the front seat of a burgundy Buick with two of his friends, Troy Stanley, 18, and Andrew Buchholz, 18, when he decided to bring his Airsoft rifle with him.

Airsoft guns use air to shoot plastic projectiles, but they look very much like real rifles.

The three teens were going to make a movie for a class project and after school at about 3:20 p.m. on Friday they thought they would stop at Westmoreland’s house to change clothes first, according to an incident report from the Racine County Sheriff’s Department.

But before they even got there, another driver saw the tip of the rifle sticking up and called 911.

Deputies with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department located the car on Highway 31 and Newman Road and didn’t think it was a toy gun because toy guns have an orange tip on the barrel of the gun, but Westmoreland had put tape over it.

The deputy called into dispatch that a high-risk traffic stop would be needed, which meant that squads from the Racine County Sheriff’s Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Racine and Mount Pleasant police departments responded.

The car was stopped on Washington at Lathrop avenues by seven squad cars, all of the traffic was stopped on Washington Avenue and the teens exited the car and taken into police custody without incident.

Westmoreland was arrested for disorderly conduct because he put black tape over the orange tip of the air rifle and riding in the car with it so that it was visible, “furthering the illusion of a real assault rifle,” wrote Scott Litwin, a deputy with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department. “This result(ed) in a very large disturbance, which involved numerous law enforcement officers from multiple agencies and disrupt(ed) the lives of numerous motorists in the area during a very high traffic time.”

Westmoreland told Litwin the gun was for the school project, but admitted that it was “very stupid” to take the toy gun in the car.

When Westmoreland was taken into custody, however, another toy gun, which also had the orange tip and decals removed, was found in his coat pocket.

A small amount of marijuana was also found inside the car; however, Stanley told police the marijuana was his. He was given a municipal citation for possession of marijuana.

Buchholz was not cited in the incident and was released from the scene.

Central Nebraska town bans BB airsoft guns

Associated Press - March 11, 2009 11:25 AM ET

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) - It's now illegal to carry a loaded BB gun, pellet gun , airsoft gun, or paintball gun in a car in Grand Island.

The Grand Island City Council, acting on a rash of windows being shot out in cars and homes, passed the change in city code Tuesday night.

Violators of the new ordinance would be subject to a $50 fine and confiscation of the gun for 60 days.

Grand Island Police Chief Steve Lamken says that in recent months, vandals armed with BB guns and airsoft have caused thousands of dollars in property damage to vehicles and buildings.

No gun charges for SV students who brings airsoft gun

No charges will be filed against two Stillman Valley grade school students who had an airsoft pistol and an Airsoft gun at school or their parents.

Ogle County State's Attorney John B. Roe said Feb. 27 that after reviewing the case and applicable state statutes he has determined that no criminal charges, either adult or juvenile, are warranted.

"Neither student possessed either weapon with malicious intent, nor had the weapons been obtained or maintained in an illegal or reckless manner," Roe said.

Officials at Highland Grade School called the sheriff's department Feb. 20 when they found a .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun in the student's locker.

School officials discovered the gun while they were investigating an incident that occurred that morning on a school bus.

A school bus driver had found a grade school student on the bus with an Airsoft gun, which shoots plastic pellets propelled by air.

During the follow up investigation of that incident school officials learned that another weapon might have been brought to school by another student, an eight-year-old boy.

The airsoft handgun was found in the second student’s book bag inside that his locker.

Ogle County Sheriff Greg Beitel said the handgun was not loaded. Its ammunition magazine was empty and was not in the gun, and a loose bullet was found in the book bag.

Beitel said both guns came from a locked gun case belonging to the eight-year-old's father.

The youngster apparently found the key to the gun case, took the weapons, and then gave the Airsoft gun to the other student, he said.

"Fortunately the gun was not loaded and the magazine was stored separately," Beitel said.

airsoft guns dupe police, Marketplace tests find

Robberies, school lockdowns and police shootings are sometimes caused by sitdogy guns that look so real, even veteran police officers can't always tell the difference, an investigation by the CBC television program Marketplace has found.

In tests conducted by Marketplace, four Vancouver police officers could not distinguish between a real gun and airsoft gun 14 times out of 40. The officers had between six and 24 years' experience on the force.

Marketplace co-host Erica Johnson gave the officers five seconds to look at each gun and then asked them to decide whether the gun was real or airsoft. Five seconds is much more time than they would have to make that decision in a real life situation.

The airsoft guns look so much like the real thing because some manufacturers licence the look — and even the names — of actual weapons brands like Colt, Smith and Wesson, and Beretta. They’re available online for anywhere from $40 to $400.

Since trained police officers cannot always tell the difference, wielding an airsoft handgun can lead to deadly results.

At least four coroner's juries in Ontario have recommended that the current patchwork of regulations around fake handguns be streamlined. The coroner's inquests were looking into the deaths of Faraz Suleman in 1996, Scott Reinhard in 2000, Henri Masuka in 2000 and Michael Kolisnyk in 2005. All four men were shot and killed by police in incidents involving imitation handguns.

Just last month in London, Ont., Joseph Barnes, 26, suffered at least two gunshot wounds in a dispute with police. Barnes was carrying an airsoft gun.
Police forces want more legislation

The number of incidents involving airsoft handguns has police forces across the country requesting more regulations from the federal government.

There are three different types of guns in circulation in Canada: real ones, airsoft guns and BB guns.

Real guns can be purchased and owned only with a special licence. Real-looking airsoft guns aren’t legally sold in Canada, but they can be owned without any special licence.

BB guns are available just about anywhere and can be bought without a licence. There is no age requirement to buy a BB gun in any part of the country except Ontario, where a BB gun buyer must be at least 18 years old.

At a conference in 2000, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police called on the federal minister of justice to ban "the manufacture, sale, possession and importation of replica firearms."

"These replica firearms have been used to terrorize victims and compromise the safety of the Canadian public," the association said in a resolution on the issue. "There has been a regrettable need for police officers to resort to the use of deadly force in situations where they believe these replica firearms to be authentic, and … there is a concern amongst police that such use of deadly force will result in the preventable tragedies associated with persons who brandish replica firearms for the purpose of enticing police into shooting them."

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson declined an interview for the CBC Marketplace story.
Fake guns used in real robberies

In the last two years in Toronto, police said they have seized almost as many fake handguns as real ones.

Recent school lockdowns across the country have been caused by the use of replica guns as well.

Vancouver store owner Pat Johnson didn’t know the gun pointed at her head was fake when a robber walked into her antiques shop in December 2006.

"He pulls his gun and points it right at me and said, 'It’s a holdup,' … but then he drew alongside, and he grabbed me and put the gun to my head. And said, 'Give me your money, or I shoot her'," she said in an interview.

Johnson said as far as she was concerned, what the robber was holding to her head was a real gun.

"It terrified me so I did exactly what he wanted."

Other people in the store overpowered the man, and his gun fell to the floor in the scuffle. It wasn’t until later that Johnson found out it was a realistic-looking fake.

"They said it was a BB gun. And of course, you know, a gun’s a gun," said Johnson.

Students Brandish Airsoft Guns in Suites

Around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009, several students occupied Providence College's Suites Hall Pavilion, threatening passing students with what appeared to be real guns. Although it was later determined that the guns were not real, students who encountered the scene were uncertain whether or not they might be in danger.

According to students who witnessed this display of potential violence, there were about five or six students carrying the airsoft guns. Several students kept an eye on the situation from the third floor of Suites Hall, which overlooks the pavilion through a glass window.

Stephanie Kanniard said that one student pointed an airsoft gun at her and told her that she "better run" when she entered the Suites Pavilion.

"I had just walked into the Suites, so I did what they said and kept walking," said Kanniard.

"The guns looked pretty real," said one witness who requested anonymity. "They didn't look like airsoft guns or anything at first glance."

The student reported what he saw to his resident assistant, who later went down to the pavilion to investigate.

"I guess the RA found out that the guns weren't real, but when we asked him, he refused to tell us," said another anonymous student. "So for all we know, those airsoft guns could have been real."

Many students said that they were frustrated with the way the resident assistants handled the ordeal.

"I think they should have made some sort of report about the incident," said Kelly Sheehan '11.

"If they can tell us when someone's purse gets stolen off campus, why can't they tell us about something that happens in our dorm?" said Kiley Phelan '11.

Major Jack Leyden, executive director of the Office of Safety and Security, said that his office was only contacted once on Sunday morning. According to Leyden, two students were reported to be shooting air guns in front of Suites Hall on Feb. 8 at 3:37 a.m.

"Officers responded and located the two students walking toward Fennell Hall," said Leyden. "The weapons were confiscated and found to be plastic airsoft pistols."

According to Leyden, the students were only shooting at each other, based on a report from a witness.

"The students were referred to Student Conduct," said Leyden. "These airsoft guns are not allowed on campus."

"With all the recent school violence, this activity is taken very seriously," said Leyden.

However, this was the only incident reported to the Office of Safety and Security on Sunday morning. According to Leyden, there were no reported incidents inside the pavilion.

Students are still wondering exactly what happened in the Suites Pavilion that morning and why the Office of Safety and Security had no record of it.

"Clearly something happened in the pavilion," an anonymous student said. "There was an RA there. So why doesn't the security office have any information?"

The student also said he believes that RAs should be required to give out information that pertains to student safety.

"For all they tell the students, the guns in the study lounge could have been real," the student said. "If there was a threat to students, I think the campus should be made aware. We don't need to know the students' names, just that something happened."

Leyden said that the Office of Safety and Security has a procedure in the event that there is a gunman reported on campus. According to Leyden, a supervisor is notified immediately to respond to the area, and then officers are deployed to set up a perimeter. Then, the Providence Police and Fire Departments are notified, with appropriate communication between these departments and the PC Office of Safety and Security.

Leyden said that the next step would be to contact the executive director and the director of Emergency Management. The final step is preparation for activation of the College's Emergency Notification System, overseen by Koren Kanadanian, director of Emergency Management.

Man accused of shooting kids with airsoft gun

A Sargeant man has been charged with shooting his two children, ages 9 and 11, with an airsoft pellet gun.

According to the complaint, A Mower County sheriff’s deputy met with a Dodge County sheriff’s deputy on Jan. 6 to retrieve a report documenting child abuse involving a pellet gun.

On Jan. 20, a detective spoke on the phone with the defendant, who would not commit to a time or place to meet with the detective, and asked if his ex-wife reported the alleged incident. He said that he shot one child in the stomach and the other in the chest because he was teaching them that “guns should not be pointed at people.” Records show he claimed his children wanted to know how it felt to be shot.

Both children said it hurt. The defendant, age 40, told officers he shot with hard plastic pellets, which travel at 220 to 325 feet per second, and said they “can put somebody’s eye out easily.”

He told the detective that “sometimes the only way you learn is through the school of hard knocks,” and claimed his father did the same thing to him.

The defendant turned over two airsoft guns to the Law Enforcement Center in Austin.

He is charged with two counts of felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon; two counts gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child; and two counts of misdemeanor domestic assault.

The defendant, who has not been named to protect the identities of the children, has been summoned to appear in Mower County District Court on March 9. Both victims are residents of Dodge County.

Lehi police arrest man in airsoft gun incident

LEHI — An 19-year-old man is in jail for threatening another man with an airsoft gun after an argument over a cigarette.

The man and his two younger brothers had been arguing with the victim outside an apartment complex in Lehi early Sunday but then left and returned with an airsoft gun, according to a police affidavit filed in 4th District Court.

During the follow-up argument, the man pulled the airsoft gun — which police later identified as an airsoft gun — from his waistband and cocked it, police said.

He threatened the victim then left, and the victim called police.

The victim told police he thought the group of men might have gone back into another apartment building, so responding officers surrounded the area to watch it, the affidavit states.

When officers saw a man leaving on foot, they tried to talk with him, but he took off running, ignoring officers' calls to stop.

The man was finally detained after several blocks, according to the affidavit, and when asked where his gun was, told officers "it's a fake gun."

Police found the airsoft pistol at the man's apartment and confirmed it looked like a real pistol, except for the clear plastic body material. However, in the dark apartment area, the victim had described it as a black Glock pistol, police said.

Airsoft scenarios bring thrill to local enthusiasts

In football, it’s the end zone; baseball, home plate; soccer, the back of the net.

Just like any other sport, airsoft teams work to accomplish a goal, while dodging opponents and pellets fired from their airsoft guns.

“You are so focused on trying to get your job done that you’re willing to do crazy things,” Appalachian State University alumnus and airsoft enthusiast R. Andy Gouge said. “That’s the thrill, leaping over a tree trunk, diving back behind a door to get the job done for your team.”

Gouge unites with about 20 other members to create the High Country Gunslingers, an airsoft team including Appalachian students, alumni, community members and military personnel who share a passion of thrill and excitement of airsoft games.

The team travels across the state to compete in different games or scenarios through the North Carolina Airsoft Organization.

The sport involves shooting 6 mm diameter plastic BB out of replica airsoft guns to prevent the opponents from completing their tasks.

Tasks are any mission assigned to a team, whether it be reaching a certain area or taking over a base.

Many of the scenario missions are based off real military events.

“[The BBs] can bring welts, they can draw blood…but sometimes you can’t even feel the hit,” alumnus and Gunslinger co-captain Eric B. Huffman said. “For us, it is the closest thing to being in the military without the side effects.”

Both Gouge and Huffman have been members of the team since it emerged over two years ago.

They both enjoy the realistic feel of military scenarios.
“We’re so used to playing video games now where it is point and click and you’re sort of detracted from reality… there are no real consequences in the game because you can turn it off,” Huffman said. “In Airsoft, you learn not to be so reckless because you can’t do what you do in a video game.”

The players wear gear that resembles authentic military operators and play in all weather, adapting to the atmosphere as military personnel do.

While some may think a sport that involves simulation killing is violent, the team plays out of respect towards soldiers and works to promote gun safety even within their name.
“The history of the gunslinger was known to take care of their guns and know their guns properly. They know the ins and outs of all their airsoft guns and so forth,” Huffman said. “We treat the airsoft guns as though they are real and can seriously injure somebody.”