A worker entering the media and other-attendee entrance at the Emmy Awards was stopped and briefly detained at a police checkpoint when an officer noticed a rifle in the trunk. The episode prompted traffic to be stopped at various checkpoints around the Nokia Theatre in downtown.
The incident that began shortly before 4:00 p.m. only lasted twenty minutes after the airsoft gun was found to be a common Airsoft rifle (it's like a BB gun), available at most sporting goods and discount stores, according to the LAPD. The driver of the car was a contract worker for an Emmy Awards vendor.
"The explanation provided by the driver and his employment status checked out. He was allowed to continue to his work assignment," the LAPD press release stated (emphasis added by LAPD).
An Airsoft Gun | Photo via AirSplat.com
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
CAVIT aims at safety Law enforcement class to use airsoft pistols
COOLIDGE - The Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology Governing Board on Wednesday approved buying police-replica airsoft pistols (airsoft guns) for CAVIT's new law enforcement program for high school students.
Instructor Brian Kennedy said the replica pistols (airsoft guns) are used at the East Valley Institute of Technology and in many other law enforcement programs.
They fire 6 mm plastic pellets that travel 195 feet per second, Kennedy said. A regular pistol round travels between 900 and 2,300 feet per second.
"Shoot me," said board President Frank Acuña.
Kennedy agreed, but made Acuña wear safety goggles during the demonstration.
Students will wear safety goggles, gloves, billed caps, long-sleeve T-shirts and heavy tactical pants when they train with pistols. Their everyday uniforms are the same, except the T-shirts are short-sleeved.
Kennedy shot Acuña, and the small orange pellet bounced off his shirt. Acuña said he could tell he had been shot, but there was no pain.
Kennedy said many law enforcement agencies use airsoft guns for training, and he could find no report of training injuries from these airsoft guns.
Someone asked why the program does not use paint balls instead.
Paint balls make a mess, Kennedy said. They hurt when they hit. Paint-ball pistols are not accurate. And they don't look like a police-use weapon.
Using the airsoft guns, CAVIT's law enforcement program can expose its students to real-world situations that will require them to make split-second decisions about the appropriate use of force, Kennedy said.
Before students can train with the replica airsoft guns, they must learn proper and safe handling of firearms, effective marksmanship, range commands and practices, and pass a written test with at least 90 percent competency.
Kennedy said the pistol training is used to improve marksmanship, learn proper handling of a weapon so no one can take it away and practice shoot/don't shoot use-of-force scenarios.
Business Manager Angela Terry said CAVIT will order 25 gas blowback airsoft pistols, 50 magazines, one case of ammunition and three cases of gas propellant from Airsoft for a total cost of roughly $4,600.
Instructor Brian Kennedy said the replica pistols (airsoft guns) are used at the East Valley Institute of Technology and in many other law enforcement programs.
They fire 6 mm plastic pellets that travel 195 feet per second, Kennedy said. A regular pistol round travels between 900 and 2,300 feet per second.
"Shoot me," said board President Frank Acuña.
Kennedy agreed, but made Acuña wear safety goggles during the demonstration.
Students will wear safety goggles, gloves, billed caps, long-sleeve T-shirts and heavy tactical pants when they train with pistols. Their everyday uniforms are the same, except the T-shirts are short-sleeved.
Kennedy shot Acuña, and the small orange pellet bounced off his shirt. Acuña said he could tell he had been shot, but there was no pain.
Kennedy said many law enforcement agencies use airsoft guns for training, and he could find no report of training injuries from these airsoft guns.
Someone asked why the program does not use paint balls instead.
Paint balls make a mess, Kennedy said. They hurt when they hit. Paint-ball pistols are not accurate. And they don't look like a police-use weapon.
Using the airsoft guns, CAVIT's law enforcement program can expose its students to real-world situations that will require them to make split-second decisions about the appropriate use of force, Kennedy said.
Before students can train with the replica airsoft guns, they must learn proper and safe handling of firearms, effective marksmanship, range commands and practices, and pass a written test with at least 90 percent competency.
Kennedy said the pistol training is used to improve marksmanship, learn proper handling of a weapon so no one can take it away and practice shoot/don't shoot use-of-force scenarios.
Business Manager Angela Terry said CAVIT will order 25 gas blowback airsoft pistols, 50 magazines, one case of ammunition and three cases of gas propellant from Airsoft for a total cost of roughly $4,600.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Exploring areas of law enforcement with airsoft guns
Inside a vacant dimly lit warehouse, Scott Christiansen carefully approached the entrance of a small room, his Airsoft Pistol poised on the target, a suspected prowler.
Behind him in the shadows stood his father, Algona Police Sgt. Lee Gaskill, monitoring his every move and correcting any misstep.
The student spotted the man and identified himself. No shots were fired. The suspect cooperated.
The mock drill with a toy airsoft gun, a watch-and-learn building search, was on the agenda for a group of teenagers interested in law enforcement.
The group gathered to learn proper procedures – from communications and concealment to cuffing and containment. Building searches are just one of the many areas of police work introduced to those who belong to the Algona Police Department’s Explorer Program.
“I want to become a police officer, and this gives us a lot of basic training. It gives you a head start,” said Christiansen, a senior at Bonney Lake High School.
Christiansen, who has completed basic and some advanced Explorer training in 2 1/2 years with the program, is determined to take the next step – enter the academy police department come winter.
Son intends to follow his father.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Gaskill said. “I support him in whatever he wants to do. It makes me proud, just like any police officer would be if their son wants to follow in their footsteps."
But as Gaskill explains, the program is much more than exposing young adults to the police world. It is all about mentorship, preaching old-fashioned values, providing good choices and building strong character. Especially with the use of airsoft guns.
“We take them bowling, to the movies, Laser tag, airsoft games, and competitions, we introduced them to our families, our children,” Gaskill said. “They get to know us, not as police officers, but as fathers and community members.
“We give them guidance. We point them in the right direction, whether it is a college education or the military,” Gaskill added. “We are there for them.”
The Explorer Program, open to career-oriented young adults 14 to 21 in good standing, has been in motion at Algona since March with plans to soon expand to other regional cities. Algona, under Police Chief Buster McGehee, and the City of Sumner are sharing resources.
The Explorer program is an extension of Learning for Life, a non-traditional subsidiary of scouting that provides in-school and career education. And once the younger trainee's hear about the tactical simulations with airsoft rifles and guns, they all jump at the chance.
While the program uniquely placed Gaskill with his son, such an arrangement is the exception. The Explorer program does not tie parents to their kids in training.
The specialty youth career oriented program is endorsed by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
At Algona, the community-based policing program is designed to educate and involve young men and women in police operations and to interest them in law enforcement functions whether they enter the law enforcement field or not, Gaskill said.
“Very few make it into law enforcement,” said Gaskill, who added that the normal hiring age for a police officer is 27. “But a large majority of them go on to firefighting, the military, communications. Many of them get involved in the system. And many of them go off to college or go on to company jobs.
“We guide them,” Gaskill said. “A lot of them are self-motivated. They get there regardless, but we push them in that direction.” And while they're having fun with airsoft guns, who can blame them.
As an Explorer, young adults have the opportunity to assist police. Explorers can broaden their understanding and firsthand knowledge of the challenges and job skills that make up their community’s police service. And the integration of airsoft guns is almost second nature to these kids since they play with them in their back yards.
Explorers are introduced to different areas of law enforcement, including narcotics, investigations, fingerprinting, crime scene work, photography, canine and helicopter units, traffic and felony stops, searches, tricks and tips and other procedures.
They also go on ride-alongs and assist in the communication center or with animal control and the jail.
In addition to gaining a working knowledge of police work, the participants have the opportunity to give of themselves to their community. Explorers are volunteers and do not serve as police employees, sworn or civilian. Training with airsoft is a very cost effective manner and a new arena for these youths.
The program is dependent on donations from businesses and communities for equipment and food. Among those who have participated are: The Rock Pizza, Tim’s Cascade Chips, Wal-Mart, and Red Robin, McDonald’s next to the SuperMall.
Behind him in the shadows stood his father, Algona Police Sgt. Lee Gaskill, monitoring his every move and correcting any misstep.
The student spotted the man and identified himself. No shots were fired. The suspect cooperated.
The mock drill with a toy airsoft gun, a watch-and-learn building search, was on the agenda for a group of teenagers interested in law enforcement.
The group gathered to learn proper procedures – from communications and concealment to cuffing and containment. Building searches are just one of the many areas of police work introduced to those who belong to the Algona Police Department’s Explorer Program.
“I want to become a police officer, and this gives us a lot of basic training. It gives you a head start,” said Christiansen, a senior at Bonney Lake High School.
Christiansen, who has completed basic and some advanced Explorer training in 2 1/2 years with the program, is determined to take the next step – enter the academy police department come winter.
Son intends to follow his father.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Gaskill said. “I support him in whatever he wants to do. It makes me proud, just like any police officer would be if their son wants to follow in their footsteps."
But as Gaskill explains, the program is much more than exposing young adults to the police world. It is all about mentorship, preaching old-fashioned values, providing good choices and building strong character. Especially with the use of airsoft guns.
“We take them bowling, to the movies, Laser tag, airsoft games, and competitions, we introduced them to our families, our children,” Gaskill said. “They get to know us, not as police officers, but as fathers and community members.
“We give them guidance. We point them in the right direction, whether it is a college education or the military,” Gaskill added. “We are there for them.”
The Explorer Program, open to career-oriented young adults 14 to 21 in good standing, has been in motion at Algona since March with plans to soon expand to other regional cities. Algona, under Police Chief Buster McGehee, and the City of Sumner are sharing resources.
The Explorer program is an extension of Learning for Life, a non-traditional subsidiary of scouting that provides in-school and career education. And once the younger trainee's hear about the tactical simulations with airsoft rifles and guns, they all jump at the chance.
While the program uniquely placed Gaskill with his son, such an arrangement is the exception. The Explorer program does not tie parents to their kids in training.
The specialty youth career oriented program is endorsed by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
At Algona, the community-based policing program is designed to educate and involve young men and women in police operations and to interest them in law enforcement functions whether they enter the law enforcement field or not, Gaskill said.
“Very few make it into law enforcement,” said Gaskill, who added that the normal hiring age for a police officer is 27. “But a large majority of them go on to firefighting, the military, communications. Many of them get involved in the system. And many of them go off to college or go on to company jobs.
“We guide them,” Gaskill said. “A lot of them are self-motivated. They get there regardless, but we push them in that direction.” And while they're having fun with airsoft guns, who can blame them.
As an Explorer, young adults have the opportunity to assist police. Explorers can broaden their understanding and firsthand knowledge of the challenges and job skills that make up their community’s police service. And the integration of airsoft guns is almost second nature to these kids since they play with them in their back yards.
Explorers are introduced to different areas of law enforcement, including narcotics, investigations, fingerprinting, crime scene work, photography, canine and helicopter units, traffic and felony stops, searches, tricks and tips and other procedures.
They also go on ride-alongs and assist in the communication center or with animal control and the jail.
In addition to gaining a working knowledge of police work, the participants have the opportunity to give of themselves to their community. Explorers are volunteers and do not serve as police employees, sworn or civilian. Training with airsoft is a very cost effective manner and a new arena for these youths.
The program is dependent on donations from businesses and communities for equipment and food. Among those who have participated are: The Rock Pizza, Tim’s Cascade Chips, Wal-Mart, and Red Robin, McDonald’s next to the SuperMall.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Key West to tighten airsoft gun law
The Key West City Commission is expected to vote Wednesday on an ordinance that would prohibit selling airsoft guns to minors and make it illegal for minors to possess them.
The proposed law requires retailers of airsoft guns, which fire airsoft pellets using either compressed air or gas or a spring, to acquire a $200 license from the city every year. The person holding the license wouldn't be able to sell the realistic-looking weapons to someone under age 18.
Chris Robinson owns and operates State of the Art. His store is the only place to purchase airsoft guns in Key West and strictly enforces an 18-or-older policy.
"Parental supervision is lacking," Robinson said. "Kids ... have broken into our store and stolen the guns." Robinson cited the availability of airsoft guns for sale on the Internet as a real cause for concern. "It's absolutely ludicrous.... Are they going to go after the Internet next?"
The law would also outlaw anyone from discharging an airsoft gun on public property, including roads. Further, possession of an airsoft gun by a minor would be prohibited in public places unless the weapon is securely and inoperably stored in a sealed carrying device.
Commissioner Clayton Lopez first presented the proposed law at a City Commission meeting Aug. 5, and was met with unanimous approval.
As it stands, anyone buying an airsoft gun must be able to prove he or she is 16 or older. Lopez said the rules are not being enforced.
"By putting it into an ordinance, we're giving teeth to the enforcement," he said. Lopez's proposed ordinance was drafted following two reports of minors misusing airsoft guns.
In May, a woman driving her car near the George Allen apartment complex was hit in the face with a pellet fired by a young boy. In June, a Key West police officer drew his firearm after an underage boy was found carrying an airsoft gun on Olivia Street.
Wednesday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. in Old City Hall on Greene Street.
The proposed law requires retailers of airsoft guns, which fire airsoft pellets using either compressed air or gas or a spring, to acquire a $200 license from the city every year. The person holding the license wouldn't be able to sell the realistic-looking weapons to someone under age 18.
Chris Robinson owns and operates State of the Art. His store is the only place to purchase airsoft guns in Key West and strictly enforces an 18-or-older policy.
"Parental supervision is lacking," Robinson said. "Kids ... have broken into our store and stolen the guns." Robinson cited the availability of airsoft guns for sale on the Internet as a real cause for concern. "It's absolutely ludicrous.... Are they going to go after the Internet next?"
The law would also outlaw anyone from discharging an airsoft gun on public property, including roads. Further, possession of an airsoft gun by a minor would be prohibited in public places unless the weapon is securely and inoperably stored in a sealed carrying device.
Commissioner Clayton Lopez first presented the proposed law at a City Commission meeting Aug. 5, and was met with unanimous approval.
As it stands, anyone buying an airsoft gun must be able to prove he or she is 16 or older. Lopez said the rules are not being enforced.
"By putting it into an ordinance, we're giving teeth to the enforcement," he said. Lopez's proposed ordinance was drafted following two reports of minors misusing airsoft guns.
In May, a woman driving her car near the George Allen apartment complex was hit in the face with a pellet fired by a young boy. In June, a Key West police officer drew his firearm after an underage boy was found carrying an airsoft gun on Olivia Street.
Wednesday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. in Old City Hall on Greene Street.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Markieff Morris’ attorney enters not guilty plea in airsoft battery case
attorney entered a not guilty plea for incoming Kansas University basketball player Markieff Morris Thursday in Lawrence Municipal Court and denied that his client fired an Airsoft rifle BB gun out of his Jayhawker Towers apartment Saturday night.
According to the KU Public Safety Office, Morris, 18, admitted to shooting the Airsoft rifle BB gun out of his apartment Saturday. A 47-year-old woman in the courtyard below received minor injuries when she was hit in the arm by a plastic airsoft pellet. According to a police report, Morris was suspected of using alcohol.
Brad Finkeldei, Morris’ attorney, said the facts in the case haven’t been accurately reported.
“Most importantly, Mr. Morris was not the person who fired the Airsoft pellet gun from the window,” Finkeldei said. “He did not admit to firing the gun out the window.”
Finkeldei said he wasn’t able to comment further because of a pending investigation.
A Dec. 12 Lawrence Municipal Court hearing has been set in the case, in which Morris is charged with battery, although he could submit an application for diversion, the city prosecutor’s office said.
The case does involve the possibility of jail time, City Prosecutor Tom Porter said.
Morris also faces possible university sanctions if he’s found to have violated a student housing policy, which could include suspension from university housing, according to the KU Student Housing handbook.
“University code and housing policy expressly prohibits weapons of any type, including pellet guns, airsoft guns, and paintball guns,” said university spokeswoman Jill Jess.
A university investigation will address whether an Airsoft BB gun is considered to be a weapon, Jess said. Federal law forbids the university from discussing student disciplinary investigations.
Ken Farris, a distributor of Airsoft guns in Lawrence, said the guns aren’t considered weapons unless they’re used as such.
“These things can be used in a game,” Farris said of their intended purpose, “but it’s not a toy that you’re supposed to run around in public with or snipe people from windows.”
According to the KU Public Safety Office, Morris, 18, admitted to shooting the Airsoft rifle BB gun out of his apartment Saturday. A 47-year-old woman in the courtyard below received minor injuries when she was hit in the arm by a plastic airsoft pellet. According to a police report, Morris was suspected of using alcohol.
Brad Finkeldei, Morris’ attorney, said the facts in the case haven’t been accurately reported.
“Most importantly, Mr. Morris was not the person who fired the Airsoft pellet gun from the window,” Finkeldei said. “He did not admit to firing the gun out the window.”
Finkeldei said he wasn’t able to comment further because of a pending investigation.
A Dec. 12 Lawrence Municipal Court hearing has been set in the case, in which Morris is charged with battery, although he could submit an application for diversion, the city prosecutor’s office said.
The case does involve the possibility of jail time, City Prosecutor Tom Porter said.
Morris also faces possible university sanctions if he’s found to have violated a student housing policy, which could include suspension from university housing, according to the KU Student Housing handbook.
“University code and housing policy expressly prohibits weapons of any type, including pellet guns, airsoft guns, and paintball guns,” said university spokeswoman Jill Jess.
A university investigation will address whether an Airsoft BB gun is considered to be a weapon, Jess said. Federal law forbids the university from discussing student disciplinary investigations.
Ken Farris, a distributor of Airsoft guns in Lawrence, said the guns aren’t considered weapons unless they’re used as such.
“These things can be used in a game,” Farris said of their intended purpose, “but it’s not a toy that you’re supposed to run around in public with or snipe people from windows.”
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Utah mayor calls ban on toy guns ridiculous
WASHINGTON TERRACE - Kids just want to have fun - but in one Utah town, they can't even play with a water pistol.
So a 14-year-old boy is launching a campaign to overturn a ban on certain toy guns.
Matthew Taylor said he was playing with friends in April when a police officer in Washington Terrace told the boys to stop using so-called airsoft guns that shoot plastic pellets.
Taylor enlisted Mayor Mark Allen, who says the laws in his city and Weber county that prohibit certain toy guns are ridiculous.
According to Allen, the laws don't even allow water or Nerf guns.
City council members in Washington Terrace are revisiting their ban.
So a 14-year-old boy is launching a campaign to overturn a ban on certain toy guns.
Matthew Taylor said he was playing with friends in April when a police officer in Washington Terrace told the boys to stop using so-called airsoft guns that shoot plastic pellets.
Taylor enlisted Mayor Mark Allen, who says the laws in his city and Weber county that prohibit certain toy guns are ridiculous.
According to Allen, the laws don't even allow water or Nerf guns.
City council members in Washington Terrace are revisiting their ban.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Mayor calls ban on toy guns ridiculous
WASHINGTON TERRACE, Utah -- Kids just want to have fun -- but in one Utah town, they can't even play with a water pistol.
So a 14-year-old boy enlisted the mayor of Washington Terrace to overturn a ban on toy guns.
Matthew Taylor said he was playing with friends when a police officer ordered the boys to stop using so-called airsoft guns that shoot plastic pellets.
"He said that they're illegal within city limits. We didn't think that was very fair," Taylor told the Standard-Examiner of Ogden. "We put a lot of money into using our airsoft guns and didn't really want to give them up."
Mayor Mark Allen said the laws in his city and Weber County that prohibit certain toy guns are silly.
"We thought it was kind of ridiculous," Allen said. "You can't even have a Super Soaker at a family reunion to hold a water fight."
According to Allen, the laws don't even allow harmless Nerf guns that shoot foam darts.
City officials say they plan to lift the ban on private property.
"Of course, you can't bring any of those to school, but Nerf guns and Super Soakers don't hurt anyone, usually, unless you shoot someone straight in the eye," Allen said.
First, the city will calculate the projectile force of various toy guns by a feet-per-second formula that's still subject to change. And they want to distinguish between a Nerf gun, for instance, and paintball guns or airsoft guns that can leave a body welt. Elected officials said they were inclined to legalize airsoft guns, squirt guns, sling shots and Nerf guns.
Toy guns can look like real guns, cautioned Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Philip Howell, who patrols Washington Terrace.
"If police are concerned, they will assess the situation from a distance and approach cautiously if it still isn't clear," he said.
City Manager Mark Christensen said toy guns can draw objections regardless of the projectile.
"We get complaints about being hit by marshmallow guns," he said.
But Taylor said the good outweighs the bad when it comes to toy guns.
"We like airsoft guns because we can go outside and get some exercise instead of just being in front of the TV or computer," he said.
So a 14-year-old boy enlisted the mayor of Washington Terrace to overturn a ban on toy guns.
Matthew Taylor said he was playing with friends when a police officer ordered the boys to stop using so-called airsoft guns that shoot plastic pellets.
"He said that they're illegal within city limits. We didn't think that was very fair," Taylor told the Standard-Examiner of Ogden. "We put a lot of money into using our airsoft guns and didn't really want to give them up."
Mayor Mark Allen said the laws in his city and Weber County that prohibit certain toy guns are silly.
"We thought it was kind of ridiculous," Allen said. "You can't even have a Super Soaker at a family reunion to hold a water fight."
According to Allen, the laws don't even allow harmless Nerf guns that shoot foam darts.
City officials say they plan to lift the ban on private property.
"Of course, you can't bring any of those to school, but Nerf guns and Super Soakers don't hurt anyone, usually, unless you shoot someone straight in the eye," Allen said.
First, the city will calculate the projectile force of various toy guns by a feet-per-second formula that's still subject to change. And they want to distinguish between a Nerf gun, for instance, and paintball guns or airsoft guns that can leave a body welt. Elected officials said they were inclined to legalize airsoft guns, squirt guns, sling shots and Nerf guns.
Toy guns can look like real guns, cautioned Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Philip Howell, who patrols Washington Terrace.
"If police are concerned, they will assess the situation from a distance and approach cautiously if it still isn't clear," he said.
City Manager Mark Christensen said toy guns can draw objections regardless of the projectile.
"We get complaints about being hit by marshmallow guns," he said.
But Taylor said the good outweighs the bad when it comes to toy guns.
"We like airsoft guns because we can go outside and get some exercise instead of just being in front of the TV or computer," he said.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
South Jordan bans toy airsoft guns
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (ABC 4 News) - One Utah city says it's safer because it is banning toy guns, including airsoft guns. On Tuesday night, The South Jordan City Council took the vote and decided that airsoft pistols are off limits in some places in the city limits.
The fake guns are not banned on private property, but in public places, streets and parks. South Jordan Police asked for tougher laws because of vandalism and because the airsoft guns look so much like real ones.
It came down to a vote on Tuesday night with no public hearing, but it wasn't without compromise. The airsoft guns are off limits in parks or other public areas.
"It gives our police officers the protection they need to be able to make the point that this is serious and that we don't want these things flying through public parks where someone could be blinded," said Aleta Taylor from the South Jordan City Council.
The new law provides for warnings for first offenses, but repeat offenders could face Class B misdemeanor charges.
The fake guns are not banned on private property, but in public places, streets and parks. South Jordan Police asked for tougher laws because of vandalism and because the airsoft guns look so much like real ones.
It came down to a vote on Tuesday night with no public hearing, but it wasn't without compromise. The airsoft guns are off limits in parks or other public areas.
"It gives our police officers the protection they need to be able to make the point that this is serious and that we don't want these things flying through public parks where someone could be blinded," said Aleta Taylor from the South Jordan City Council.
The new law provides for warnings for first offenses, but repeat offenders could face Class B misdemeanor charges.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Airsoft guns pack a wallop
As misnomers go, airsoft is a whopper. I should know. I was shot recently from close range with one of the large plastic BBs fired by one of the imported air guns, which are the latest backyard sensation among kids in many Canadian communities like this one.
Even through blue jeans, the 6-mm BB, which is roughly twice the size of a standard metal BB and half as big as a paintball projectile inflicted a sting similar to an elastic band being snapped hard against bare skin.
In other words, it hurt like hell. And it gave me an immediate appreciation for the potential danger of these unregulated weapons in the hands of thrill-seeking youngsters with little or no understanding of basic gun safety.
While there are no hard numbers about the prevalence or severity of injuries caused by airsoft guns in Canada, the director of the trauma programs at Montreal's Children's Hospital says they are starting to become a cause for concern in Quebec. "So far we've been lucky in that we haven't seen the numbers and kinds of severe injuries we see that are caused by BBs and paintballs," said Debbie Friedman. "But we're beginning to see more and more cases."
According to Friedman, the Children's has only treated about a half-dozen airsoft injuries annually over the past few years. Thankfully, she added, those injuries have all involved welts to limbs and necks.
"Our greatest fear is that we're going to start getting kids in here with life-altering injuries to their eyes," she said. "It just takes a split second to happen."
And when it comes to playing with airsoft guns, pain and danger are the name of the game.
"Sure it hurts when you get shot," says my oldest son, William, 12, who owns three airsoft guns. "But trying not to get shot - and shooting other people - is what makes it so much fun."
Like the dozen or so 11- to 15-year olds who get together regularly after supper to wage simulated warfare around the Maison des jeunes in the centre of our village, he'd never even heard of an airsoft gun until a few weeks ago.
Neither had I, despite the fact that I'm a gun owner who grew up using compressed-air weapons like pellet and BB guns.
Then, like now, the golden rule of responsible gun handling was to never aim or fire a gun - any gun - at another person.
But the very nature of airsoft tag - and how the guns are marketed, particularly to kids - runs counter to that principle.
Originally produced as toys in Japan, where individual ownership of real guns is illegal, in the 1970s with a name - Air Soft - that differentiated their larger (and therefore slower) plastic ammunition from the smaller, faster copper and steel shot fired by standard BB guns, the clear plastic-barreled pistols and rifles are so real looking they are widely used as a non-lethal, live-fire training tool for police and military forces in the United States.
Still popular in Japan, where the number of "airsoft hobbyists" is believed to be in the hundreds of thousands, the guns are also becoming increasingly popular among many American sport shooting and close-combat enthusiasts. "The whole idea and beauty of airsoft," reads the website of one Kentucky-based weapons retailer who sells the guns, "is the fact that it is relatively safe and useable (indoors) where conventional BB guns or paintball guns cannot be used."
Unlike paintball, which has been popular across North America for two decades, airsoft guns started showing up in Canada just a few years ago, first in small sporting goods stores and, now, on the shelves of the country's biggest retailers, including Wal-Mart.
Because airsoft bullets fire at a velocity of less than 152 metres per second, they are not regulated by federal gun-control laws in Canada.
While some provinces and municipalities have laws regulating such non-powder firearms (Ontario, for example, requires a minimum age of 18 to buy the ammunition for air guns and BB guns, while Halifax forbids their firing within municipal limits), there are no restrictions on their sale or use in Quebec.
Airsoft manufacturers, however, most of them located in the U.S., caution retailers against selling the weapons to minors.
Most models also come with safety glasses - the only protective gear that the manufacturers "strongly recommended" users wear.
Steve Deschênes, owner of Passion Chasse & Pêche, a store in the Quebec City suburb of Beauport that caters to hunters and anglers - and the only one of the half-dozen hunting shops in the region to carry airsoft guns - says most of his airsoft sales have been to boys age 14 to 18, who come into the store with fathers who are there to look at firearms.
Deschênes said he and his staff try to adhere to a policy of refusing to sell the guns to kids under 16 who aren't accompanied by their parents, "but it's not always easy. It comes down to using your common sense."
He has enjoyed brisk sales of the weapons since he began stocking Crossman products for the first time in March. "I'm happy with how they're selling," he said, noting that sales of airsoft guns at his store now rival pellet gun sales. "It's really good when you consider that I've never even advertised that I carry them."
According to Roy Stefanko, U.S. national sales manager for Crossman, which controls as much as 80 per cent of the air-gun market in North America, the guns are intended for shooting targets, not other people. "I've heard anecdotally that (airsoft guns) are being used to play (war simulation games)," he said this week. "But that's not what they are intended for. They're intended for practising shooting in a safe way."
He said Crossman goes "over the top" when it comes to safety concerning airsoft guns in Canada, like adding the orange tips to the barrel ends of the guns for sale in Canada, where customs regulations require the replicate guns be made of clear plastic, so as not to cause confusion with real guns.
"Our goal with airsoft guns is to help families rediscover the fun of shooting," said Stefanko. "We don't condone their use for shooting other people at all. It ultimately comes down to the responsibility of parents and adults to make sure the guns are used properly."
Wal-Mart Canada did not return calls to discuss its airsoft sales, but an official with an Alberta company that sells the weapons via the Internet did.
"There has not been an organized push to bring airsoft into the country, it has mostly been private efforts through small stores," said the official with Buyairsoft.ca, who asked not to be identified.
The company, which was founded just two years ago, now sells a wide range of airsoft guns - replicas of everything from an Ultimate Bolt Action Sniper Rifle and M16 rifles to the Desert Eagle .44 Magnum - to people of all ages "from Salt Spring Island, B.C., to Stittsville, Newfoundland. Obviously we sell more guns to larger cities such as Montreal and Calgary. However, per capita, we probably sell the most to small towns."
She noted, too, that sales tend to follow a pattern - one that I witnessed here in this rural village, a half-hour's drive east of Quebec City.
"We find that when we start selling product to one small town for the first time, we have multiple orders from the same town over the next few weeks," she said. "Airsoft is addictive and very quick to be picked up once people have seen the product or a game being played."
That was evident watching my son and his friends in battle.
Divided in schoolyard fashion into two teams of about 10 players each - half with guns, half without; all wearing a variety of protective eyewear ranging from the safety glasses supplied by the gun-maker to ski goggles and sunglasses - they ran around on the grass inside the village's outdoor rink, shooting each other to screams of pain and laughter in an ad hoc game that resembled tag.
"This is the best game I've ever played," says Alexandre Couture, a tall and lanky 13-year-old who recently bought an airsoft pump shotgun - one of a half-dozen being used that night. "It's really good exercise and it's a blast shooting other people."
"It's awesome," adds Alexis Herrmann, a 12-year-old with an infectious smile who has also participated in airsoft battles with kids his age in other nearby villages - and who proudly shows off a half-dozen angry red welts on his back at the break. "It hurts to get shot but you have to to get close enough to shoot somebody."
All the kids said they recognized the danger of being shot in the eye. But they said those risks were diminished by the rules they set, like no shooting after a time out is called and no shooting of those who aren't wearing protective glasses.
Those crimes are supposedly punishable by the mass shooting of the perpetrator by all the participants. But in the half-hour I watched the kids wage simulated warfare, I saw numerous infractions that went unpunished - one of which resulted in a welt on the face of a non-combatant.
I also saw many cases of dangerous handling of firearms, like the pointing of a weapon - with finger on trigger - at unprotected faces. Loaded guns were passed around freely, their barrels waving in every direction, instead of pointing down to the ground and away from others.
According to the Montreal Children's Friedman, most injuries that occur in simulated battles happen when the participants think the game is over and remove their protective gear.
The use of weapons by unsupervised minors is also a recipe for disaster.
"These guns are not toys (and) things can get out of control very quickly," she said. "They have the potential to cause serious injury at any moment (so) kids should not be let loose with them."
She added that, like any activity in which risks are involved - everything from skiing and cycling to the use of airsoft guns and backyard trampolines - it's up to parents to assess those risks.
"A great day outdoors filled with laughter and fun should not end in a visit to hospital."
Much to William's chagrin, this dad has decided the shootouts at the outdoor rink are a little too far on the wild side. And I'm not alone, since the young adults in charge of the Maison des jeunes next to the rink have asked both their administrative council and the village to ban the guns from the municipally-owned facility, which is designed as a safe place for teens and pre-teens to hang out.
Not wanting to be a stick-in-the-mud, however, I have offered to supervise airsoft battles between my son and his friends in a nearby sandpit or another suitably isolated location. That way I can make sure the guns are being used safely, safety glasses are being worn properly, and fights are fair.
Even through blue jeans, the 6-mm BB, which is roughly twice the size of a standard metal BB and half as big as a paintball projectile inflicted a sting similar to an elastic band being snapped hard against bare skin.
In other words, it hurt like hell. And it gave me an immediate appreciation for the potential danger of these unregulated weapons in the hands of thrill-seeking youngsters with little or no understanding of basic gun safety.
While there are no hard numbers about the prevalence or severity of injuries caused by airsoft guns in Canada, the director of the trauma programs at Montreal's Children's Hospital says they are starting to become a cause for concern in Quebec. "So far we've been lucky in that we haven't seen the numbers and kinds of severe injuries we see that are caused by BBs and paintballs," said Debbie Friedman. "But we're beginning to see more and more cases."
According to Friedman, the Children's has only treated about a half-dozen airsoft injuries annually over the past few years. Thankfully, she added, those injuries have all involved welts to limbs and necks.
"Our greatest fear is that we're going to start getting kids in here with life-altering injuries to their eyes," she said. "It just takes a split second to happen."
And when it comes to playing with airsoft guns, pain and danger are the name of the game.
"Sure it hurts when you get shot," says my oldest son, William, 12, who owns three airsoft guns. "But trying not to get shot - and shooting other people - is what makes it so much fun."
Like the dozen or so 11- to 15-year olds who get together regularly after supper to wage simulated warfare around the Maison des jeunes in the centre of our village, he'd never even heard of an airsoft gun until a few weeks ago.
Neither had I, despite the fact that I'm a gun owner who grew up using compressed-air weapons like pellet and BB guns.
Then, like now, the golden rule of responsible gun handling was to never aim or fire a gun - any gun - at another person.
But the very nature of airsoft tag - and how the guns are marketed, particularly to kids - runs counter to that principle.
Originally produced as toys in Japan, where individual ownership of real guns is illegal, in the 1970s with a name - Air Soft - that differentiated their larger (and therefore slower) plastic ammunition from the smaller, faster copper and steel shot fired by standard BB guns, the clear plastic-barreled pistols and rifles are so real looking they are widely used as a non-lethal, live-fire training tool for police and military forces in the United States.
Still popular in Japan, where the number of "airsoft hobbyists" is believed to be in the hundreds of thousands, the guns are also becoming increasingly popular among many American sport shooting and close-combat enthusiasts. "The whole idea and beauty of airsoft," reads the website of one Kentucky-based weapons retailer who sells the guns, "is the fact that it is relatively safe and useable (indoors) where conventional BB guns or paintball guns cannot be used."
Unlike paintball, which has been popular across North America for two decades, airsoft guns started showing up in Canada just a few years ago, first in small sporting goods stores and, now, on the shelves of the country's biggest retailers, including Wal-Mart.
Because airsoft bullets fire at a velocity of less than 152 metres per second, they are not regulated by federal gun-control laws in Canada.
While some provinces and municipalities have laws regulating such non-powder firearms (Ontario, for example, requires a minimum age of 18 to buy the ammunition for air guns and BB guns, while Halifax forbids their firing within municipal limits), there are no restrictions on their sale or use in Quebec.
Airsoft manufacturers, however, most of them located in the U.S., caution retailers against selling the weapons to minors.
Most models also come with safety glasses - the only protective gear that the manufacturers "strongly recommended" users wear.
Steve Deschênes, owner of Passion Chasse & Pêche, a store in the Quebec City suburb of Beauport that caters to hunters and anglers - and the only one of the half-dozen hunting shops in the region to carry airsoft guns - says most of his airsoft sales have been to boys age 14 to 18, who come into the store with fathers who are there to look at firearms.
Deschênes said he and his staff try to adhere to a policy of refusing to sell the guns to kids under 16 who aren't accompanied by their parents, "but it's not always easy. It comes down to using your common sense."
He has enjoyed brisk sales of the weapons since he began stocking Crossman products for the first time in March. "I'm happy with how they're selling," he said, noting that sales of airsoft guns at his store now rival pellet gun sales. "It's really good when you consider that I've never even advertised that I carry them."
According to Roy Stefanko, U.S. national sales manager for Crossman, which controls as much as 80 per cent of the air-gun market in North America, the guns are intended for shooting targets, not other people. "I've heard anecdotally that (airsoft guns) are being used to play (war simulation games)," he said this week. "But that's not what they are intended for. They're intended for practising shooting in a safe way."
He said Crossman goes "over the top" when it comes to safety concerning airsoft guns in Canada, like adding the orange tips to the barrel ends of the guns for sale in Canada, where customs regulations require the replicate guns be made of clear plastic, so as not to cause confusion with real guns.
"Our goal with airsoft guns is to help families rediscover the fun of shooting," said Stefanko. "We don't condone their use for shooting other people at all. It ultimately comes down to the responsibility of parents and adults to make sure the guns are used properly."
Wal-Mart Canada did not return calls to discuss its airsoft sales, but an official with an Alberta company that sells the weapons via the Internet did.
"There has not been an organized push to bring airsoft into the country, it has mostly been private efforts through small stores," said the official with Buyairsoft.ca, who asked not to be identified.
The company, which was founded just two years ago, now sells a wide range of airsoft guns - replicas of everything from an Ultimate Bolt Action Sniper Rifle and M16 rifles to the Desert Eagle .44 Magnum - to people of all ages "from Salt Spring Island, B.C., to Stittsville, Newfoundland. Obviously we sell more guns to larger cities such as Montreal and Calgary. However, per capita, we probably sell the most to small towns."
She noted, too, that sales tend to follow a pattern - one that I witnessed here in this rural village, a half-hour's drive east of Quebec City.
"We find that when we start selling product to one small town for the first time, we have multiple orders from the same town over the next few weeks," she said. "Airsoft is addictive and very quick to be picked up once people have seen the product or a game being played."
That was evident watching my son and his friends in battle.
Divided in schoolyard fashion into two teams of about 10 players each - half with guns, half without; all wearing a variety of protective eyewear ranging from the safety glasses supplied by the gun-maker to ski goggles and sunglasses - they ran around on the grass inside the village's outdoor rink, shooting each other to screams of pain and laughter in an ad hoc game that resembled tag.
"This is the best game I've ever played," says Alexandre Couture, a tall and lanky 13-year-old who recently bought an airsoft pump shotgun - one of a half-dozen being used that night. "It's really good exercise and it's a blast shooting other people."
"It's awesome," adds Alexis Herrmann, a 12-year-old with an infectious smile who has also participated in airsoft battles with kids his age in other nearby villages - and who proudly shows off a half-dozen angry red welts on his back at the break. "It hurts to get shot but you have to to get close enough to shoot somebody."
All the kids said they recognized the danger of being shot in the eye. But they said those risks were diminished by the rules they set, like no shooting after a time out is called and no shooting of those who aren't wearing protective glasses.
Those crimes are supposedly punishable by the mass shooting of the perpetrator by all the participants. But in the half-hour I watched the kids wage simulated warfare, I saw numerous infractions that went unpunished - one of which resulted in a welt on the face of a non-combatant.
I also saw many cases of dangerous handling of firearms, like the pointing of a weapon - with finger on trigger - at unprotected faces. Loaded guns were passed around freely, their barrels waving in every direction, instead of pointing down to the ground and away from others.
According to the Montreal Children's Friedman, most injuries that occur in simulated battles happen when the participants think the game is over and remove their protective gear.
The use of weapons by unsupervised minors is also a recipe for disaster.
"These guns are not toys (and) things can get out of control very quickly," she said. "They have the potential to cause serious injury at any moment (so) kids should not be let loose with them."
She added that, like any activity in which risks are involved - everything from skiing and cycling to the use of airsoft guns and backyard trampolines - it's up to parents to assess those risks.
"A great day outdoors filled with laughter and fun should not end in a visit to hospital."
Much to William's chagrin, this dad has decided the shootouts at the outdoor rink are a little too far on the wild side. And I'm not alone, since the young adults in charge of the Maison des jeunes next to the rink have asked both their administrative council and the village to ban the guns from the municipally-owned facility, which is designed as a safe place for teens and pre-teens to hang out.
Not wanting to be a stick-in-the-mud, however, I have offered to supervise airsoft battles between my son and his friends in a nearby sandpit or another suitably isolated location. That way I can make sure the guns are being used safely, safety glasses are being worn properly, and fights are fair.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Police officers train for shootings at Ball State with airsoft guns
Four Kokomo Police Department officers ready to storm the building. Equipped with masks and airsoft guns, they rush into the Johnson Residence Hall at Ball State University .
As the officers rush in with an instructor following them in a neon vest, they find a disheveled room with chairs and mattresses festooned along the floor.
They keep moving through the room, patrolling for any shooters, and they pass through a door. As they enter, the lead officer trips over a string that is attached to a chair.
“It’s a booby-trap,” one of the Kokomo officers says.
“All right, the first officer is dead,” the training guide says.
The first officer – the one who tripped the trap – drops to the ground. The others proceed with their emergency response exercises. In this case, the emergency is a shooter.
Gene Burton, Ball State University director of public safety, said the training sessions combine classroom work and a realistic simulation to teach about 70 officers how to combat an active shooter.
“I think they are vitally important,” Burton said.
Plans on paper are important to have, he said, but plans lose value if officers don’t have hands-on training in those situations. Also, campus incidents such as the deadly shooting at Virginia Tech in April 2007, emphasize the importance of these exercises. Tech student Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 before taking his own life.
Ball State held a similar training session five or six years ago in the Burris Laboratory School , and it was Ball State ’s turn to hold the training event. Training events occur throughout the state at various locations.
“We try to do something to this effect yearly,” Burton said.
The cost of the exercises would be minimal, Burton said, but most of the costs would be labor costs where departments would pay officers and instructors overtime for the training. Airsoft guns are cheap, especially compared to simunitions.
Russ Tussey, a Peru Police Department police officer, said training sessions such as these offer the most realistic experience for an officer trying to learn what to do with an active shooter. Tussey went to Ball State ’s training instead of other police training sessions elsewhere because of the realism its course would offer.
“As a law enforcement officer, our job is to move toward that target,” he said. “That’s the most difficult part. That’s why we train like this.”
Tussey said the training offers applicable knowledge because there is always a potential to have a shooting happen at the local high school or an office building in town.
Jeff Whitesell, a Yorktown police officer, said he’s attending the training sessions because of the importance of knowing what to do if a shooting ever happens.
“I don’t think you can put a value on this training,” he said.
Whitesell went to Ball State ’s training because it was local, and if a shooting ever happens at a local school, he would probably get the call. If a shooting ever did happen, he said, a police department could never get enough help.
The practice sessions continue Tuesday and Friday. Officers go through one, four-hour session to complete the training.
As the officers rush in with an instructor following them in a neon vest, they find a disheveled room with chairs and mattresses festooned along the floor.
They keep moving through the room, patrolling for any shooters, and they pass through a door. As they enter, the lead officer trips over a string that is attached to a chair.
“It’s a booby-trap,” one of the Kokomo officers says.
“All right, the first officer is dead,” the training guide says.
The first officer – the one who tripped the trap – drops to the ground. The others proceed with their emergency response exercises. In this case, the emergency is a shooter.
Gene Burton, Ball State University director of public safety, said the training sessions combine classroom work and a realistic simulation to teach about 70 officers how to combat an active shooter.
“I think they are vitally important,” Burton said.
Plans on paper are important to have, he said, but plans lose value if officers don’t have hands-on training in those situations. Also, campus incidents such as the deadly shooting at Virginia Tech in April 2007, emphasize the importance of these exercises. Tech student Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 before taking his own life.
Ball State held a similar training session five or six years ago in the Burris Laboratory School , and it was Ball State ’s turn to hold the training event. Training events occur throughout the state at various locations.
“We try to do something to this effect yearly,” Burton said.
The cost of the exercises would be minimal, Burton said, but most of the costs would be labor costs where departments would pay officers and instructors overtime for the training. Airsoft guns are cheap, especially compared to simunitions.
Russ Tussey, a Peru Police Department police officer, said training sessions such as these offer the most realistic experience for an officer trying to learn what to do with an active shooter. Tussey went to Ball State ’s training instead of other police training sessions elsewhere because of the realism its course would offer.
“As a law enforcement officer, our job is to move toward that target,” he said. “That’s the most difficult part. That’s why we train like this.”
Tussey said the training offers applicable knowledge because there is always a potential to have a shooting happen at the local high school or an office building in town.
Jeff Whitesell, a Yorktown police officer, said he’s attending the training sessions because of the importance of knowing what to do if a shooting ever happens.
“I don’t think you can put a value on this training,” he said.
Whitesell went to Ball State ’s training because it was local, and if a shooting ever happens at a local school, he would probably get the call. If a shooting ever did happen, he said, a police department could never get enough help.
The practice sessions continue Tuesday and Friday. Officers go through one, four-hour session to complete the training.
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