Airsoft

[ThomasStewart]

Hi guys

Something thats been playing on my mind, what makes people want to shoot at each other with plastic/metal ballbearings? And do you use safety equipment? Is it regulated? Are there rules? etc.

Cheers
Tom.

[Jimmy]

I've never tried Airsoft but I have played Paintball and it is damn amazing.

[Thanato]

Milsims, and there not metal there plastic. Its fun, like paintball, the only real safety equipment you need is eye protection, there are goups/clubs all around the world. And there are leuges with rules.

~Thanato

[duckfoot]

*find out more*

www.arniesairsoft.com

or if you want to buy equipment, you can try

www.zerooneairsoft.com

[<SaF>Sgt.S0apy]

ive done paintballing before. the only thing that pissed me off is the head gear & the big straps you got to wear to store ammo on it. it jst makes you more stiff.... give me a gun & eay protection then i can dart around everywhere!!

give me lotsa equipment n a helmet, ammo strap, gun.. im like a fatboy camping behind a tree :o

[MikoWolf]

on the airsoft side, i have bought myself a thompson smg =D the one by tokyo mauri i think

why people want to shoot at each other? might be the adrenaline kick, plus that you dont die from shots, you just "fake death" and then can play again, unless in real war =/
an other fun thing about the airsfot, which i havnt seen in paintball is that you can buy replicas of real guns, which is even funnier to use, since it adds to realism =)

too bad that i dont know any softgun groups where i live =(

[Muppet]

i found out about this airsoft hobby when i came across the site Airsoft Armory (http://www.airsoft-armory.com/).
Sounds like it would be excellent fun, only thing is in australia there are laws against it so i cant get any equipment over here that i know of.
I've paintballed and i loved it, but yeah the idea of having realistic weapons and equipment appeals to a lot of people who otherwise would never want to join the military. Also as MikoWolf says, its the adrenaline rush hehe, everyone loves adrenaline ;)

[Lt.Buck]

never heard of it but it sounds cool.

lol Muppet yeah u gotta hate Australia with our laws :rolleyes:

[ThomasStewart]

Hmmmm interesting, but I think I'll stick to Re-enacting. Nothing like it....and no one gets hurt in the street by it.

Personally Im not too keen on airsoft, I beleive that because anyone is allowed to own an airsoft weapon, that it leads to accidents that can perminantly inflict an injury on people. There is alot of incidents over here in the UK where children have been blinded by people playing this 'adrenaline rushing' game. And I can understand to an extent why the VCR bill is after it.

Just my 2cents.
Tom.

[Blame Canada]

Hmmmm interesting, but I think I'll stick to Re-enacting. Nothing like it....and no one gets hurt in the street by it.

Personally Im not too keen on airsoft, I beleive that because anyone is allowed to own an airsoft weapon, that it leads to accidents that can perminantly inflict an injury on people. There is alot of incidents over here in the UK where children have been blinded by people playing this 'adrenaline rushing' game. And I can understand to an extent why the VCR bill is after it.

Just my 2cents.
Tom.

Re-enactment can lead to injuries... the leader of a mod I was working on lost his arm in a Re-enactment of a Napoleonic battle, when a nearby cannon exploded.

[Hells Angel]

Hmmmm interesting, but I think I'll stick to Re-enacting. Nothing like it....and no one gets hurt in the street by it.

Personally Im not too keen on airsoft, I beleive that because anyone is allowed to own an airsoft weapon, that it leads to accidents that can perminantly inflict an injury on people. There is alot of incidents over here in the UK where children have been blinded by people playing this 'adrenaline rushing' game. And I can understand to an extent why the VCR bill is after it.

Just my 2cents.
Tom.

Well tom the actual problem with that you just said that anyone can buy them. the accidents that are caused are not by airsoft players yet the little chavvy kids hyped up on tango that go down the local market and can buy a shite one (that can still do damage) for a knockdown price of 5 quid.

Airsofting is the cheaper alternative (and more realistic) version of paintball. Its for people who want to play capture the flag while dressed realisticly and having guns that look like the real thing :) thats the main selling point of airsoft aswell as the fun. A good day of paintball will set you back 100 odd quid for Paintballs, entry .ect Yet airsoft will set you back with around 30 quid being around 20 for entry and around 10 quid for 2000+ BB's

Thats why im an airsofter :rolleyes: It's great fun and i'd suggest that anyone who can gives it ago at least once. :D

[[5NFSO]Sops]

I've wanted to play airsoft but I'm too cheap to buy a gun :(

[Muppet]

I kinda agree with Sani, about irresponsible people causing injuries and the likes, but the same can be said for plenty of other hobby related, or easily purchasable equipment. I dont think banning it completly is the answer...maybe sthing like u had to be part of an acknowledged airsoft club in order to buy the weapons or sthin like that, or a hobbyists gun liscence, i dunno, banning it seems silly when there are paintballing/archery/gunetc. clubs around that are potentialy more dangerous.

[ThomasStewart]

Re-enactment can lead to injuries... the leader of a mod I was working on lost his arm in a Re-enactment of a Napoleonic battle, when a nearby cannon exploded.

Yes it can BC, I myself have suffered injuries through re-enactment. However you miss my point, there are measures in place to certify that no members of the public are endangered in anyway. Airsoft is too widely available IMHO and perhaps should only be sold to registered clubs or guys with licences. Take re-enactment for example, as it stands, I can go and purchase myself a deactivated K98, MG42,34,MP44...whatever I have the money for (thats the problem..I dont :rolleyes: ;) ) but I cant go out and simply purchase a firring rifle, I need a license. Now I know that a plastic BB gun wont kill someone but they can cause seveare injuries to soft areas of the body...eyes etc. Would it not reduce the likelyhood of one of these "chavs" if the weapons were only sold to licencee's/members of airsoft groups?

Another thing to consider, is that plastic BB's are not the only thing being fired, some of my friends have electric powered assualt rifles that fire metal ball bearings...this IMHO is stupid, and personally I am potentially more scared of someone point one of these at me than a real weapon. Because the sense is there, anyone holding a real weapon knows its potential and the risk they pose to themselves and others, someone with a BB gun looses this...its almost a licence to behave like an ar*sehole and mis-use the weapons. I myself have been braught up round weapons all my life, ever since I was born, and I beleive that people like myself have more respect for weapons than most. Now Im not saying that any of you guys mis-use the weapons, all Im saying is that the potential is there - and Ive seen and heard of the effects. My mates arent chavs, and are probably people you would consider "nerdy" if you met them, however they mis-use the "weapons". I suppose my real point is that airsoft is not a controled or regulated as it should be.

Unfortunately airsoft plays a part in crime too, a police friend of mine was telling me about a statistics sheet the met has, detailing the amount of gun crimes that involve airsoft weapons in the UK. I'll tell you, the statistics of airsoftgun crime is higher than the amount of film quality replica weapons crime (the same sort of weapons some re-enactors use at shows).

[ThomasStewart]

I kinda agree with Sani, about irresponsible people causing injuries and the likes, but the same can be said for plenty of other hobby related, or easily purchasable equipment. I dont think banning it completly is the answer...maybe sthing like u had to be part of an acknowledged airsoft club in order to buy the weapons or sthin like that, or a hobbyists gun liscence, i dunno, banning it seems silly when there are paintballing/archery/gunetc. clubs around that are potentialy more dangerous.

And I agree with you mate. Although I dont agree that gun clubs pose a more dangerous threat. The problem is that the threat is mainly in peoples imaginations, they see someone with a gun and think "oh he could kill me with that...." they dont think beond this point, for an example the UK. The UK requires all gun holders to have a respective license for the gun they own. A FAC 1 is your basic gun license, which covers basic shotguns and bolt action rifles (your K98)...all the way up to an FAC 5 - armourers license. The FAC 5 is the hardest to get respectively, as it allows almost everything from rifles to RPG's. However, people have to be dedicated to receive an FAC, they have to go through safety operations (installing a gun cabinet in house and vehicle) and police character checks. Anyone with an existing criminal record cannot purchase an FAC - therefore cannot purchase a live firring weapon - therefore cannot belong to a gun club.
Anyone belonging to a gun club, doesnt have to own their own weapon, the gun club owner will hold (most likely) a section 5. Which allows him to rent the weapons out to people belonging to the gun club, within the gun club and under his supervision. All range personnel are required to have completed all relevant courses and all weapons and ammunition are to be signed for. At the end of shooting, the member is to retrieve all casings and sign a range declaration - declaring that they have no live rounds, pyrotechnics or ammunition of any sort.

As you can see, it is extremely hard for anyone belonging to a gun club, to sneak things in and out...and potentially harm anyone...(in the UK of course, America is a different matter and I shant go there, as anyone who argues with an American NRA member, eventually is worn down by repetativeness of party retoric - Ive been there before ;) ).

[Blame Canada]

Yes it can BC, I myself have suffered injuries through re-enactment. However you miss my point, there are measures in place to certify that no members of the public are endangered in anyway. Airsoft is too widely available IMHO and perhaps should only be sold to registered clubs or guys with licences. Take re-enactment for example, as it stands, I can go and purchase myself a deactivated K98, MG42,34,MP44...whatever I have the money for (thats the problem..I dont :rolleyes: ;) ) but I cant go out and simply purchase a firring rifle, I need a license. Now I know that a plastic BB gun wont kill someone but they can cause seveare injuries to soft areas of the body...eyes etc. Would it not reduce the likelyhood of one of these "chavs" if the weapons were only sold to licencee's/members of airsoft groups?

Another thing to consider, is that plastic BB's are not the only thing being fired, some of my friends have electric powered assualt rifles that fire metal ball bearings...this IMHO is stupid, and personally I am potentially more scared of someone point one of these at me than a real weapon. Because the sense is there, anyone holding a real weapon knows its potential and the risk they pose to themselves and others, someone with a BB gun looses this...its almost a licence to behave like an ar*sehole and mis-use the weapons. I myself have been braught up round weapons all my life, ever since I was born, and I beleive that people like myself have more respect for weapons than most. Now Im not saying that any of you guys mis-use the weapons, all Im saying is that the potential is there - and Ive seen and heard of the effects. My mates arent chavs, and are probably people you would consider "nerdy" if you met them, however they mis-use the "weapons". I suppose my real point is that airsoft is not a controled or regulated as it should be.

Unfortunately airsoft plays a part in crime too, a police friend of mine was telling me about a statistics sheet the met has, detailing the amount of gun crimes that involve airsoft weapons in the UK. I'll tell you, the statistics of airsoftgun crime is higher than the amount of film quality replica weapons crime (the same sort of weapons some re-enactors use at shows).


I was not trying to speak possitively of airsoft guns... I don't even own one... Can't see the point...

[<SaF>Sgt.S0apy]

lol @ paintballing guns, they look fugly :o id rather tommy guns against ak47s hehe...

im in the uk, london does anybody know places to go play some airsoft games!?

-soap

[Hells Angel]

Soapy yeah i know some sites jus PM me and i'll send them across. At Sani. i completely agree and every airsofter i know would be more than happy to register for their weapons. i agree they are too widely avalible but banning is too much. Yes replica weaponry is used for crimes (more than real weapons) yet i dont belive thats a cause to go banning the VCR bill in its present state will harm more law abiding people that criminals.

Oh and people saying they have no guns to go airsofting. Most sites rent weaponry, equipment and pyro's for people to use so go ahead find your nearest site and join in :cool:

/rant over :)

[ThomasStewart]

No rant, just polite conversation :)

Yeah I agree, the VCR bill does hurt more law abiding people than those with criminal intent. And I would agree with the government if it made Airsofting a register only sport/hobby.

[1st Sgt. Burke]

I like Airsoft. Im just getting into it. I bougth an LPEG and am looking at getting a couple more. More for plinking at this point...but in the future ild like to find a safe field to play at.

[MikoWolf]

what a vcr bill?

i know vcr are video cassete recorders, but in this case, what is it =D

[emery]

I find airsoft great, here in Finland it is quite controlled and I have never head of any trouble with kids shooting each other with the guns. I own an m16 by Tokio marui, an m4a1 and 2 pistols. The rifles are electric full automatic, and are just like teh real thing. The pistols are spring powered. There is a rather good, although relatively small airsoft scene in Finalnd, but there are still many teams to play with, although I usually just organise matches between groups from my school. I prefer it to paintball as it is not as painful, and the weapons look far better.