Why so many youngins?

[Pinard]

I went to a store with my buddy like a year ago and a father was looking at some airsoft rifles with his son. We went closer to hear what they where saying and all. At some point the father asked us if that gun shot hard (pointing an AK). We told him that it could make some good damage when not handled properly thus it was a 18 y/o game. We also told him his son and him could face possible lawsuits if the kid used it wrong.

The father told his son to forget about it and thanked us for our head up.

Kiddo was mad pissed at us and begged his father with no results.

I think it shows here that the problem is parents not being aware of all the possible issues since it is widely sold and we don't hear much about that sport.

[Dimitri]

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

I figure you can't stop them from playing, they might as well do it in a controlled environment!

Pretty much.

It's like age prohibitions on alcohol and cigarettes, when you were a teen, did you noticed that they really worked.

Dimitri

[Danke]

Originally Posted by Dimitri

Pretty much.

It's like age prohibitions on alcohol and cigarettes, when you were a teen, did you noticed that they really worked.

Dimitri

That's true but at the same time you won't see the age to buy booze and cigs lowered to 12 because the brewery's and tobacco mills "might not survive without new customers".

They know the same thing as we do. Over time the kids on the outside looking in will let through the door.

[TurlteRaph]

Originally Posted by Danke

That's true but at the same time you won't see the age to buy booze and cigs lowered to 12 because the brewery's and tobacco mills "might not survive without new customers".

They know the same thing as we do. Over time the kids on the outside looking in will let through the door.

The only different is that Kids will be doing it outside of gate while waiting to get in. Without proper guidance, they are going to do stuff and , perhaps, invent things, that the 'adults' may not approve in the grownup games. Those kids may end up in jail because they did something stupid and it may affect our community.

I am not sure how the games are run in your area, but my local game clearly stated that parents must be present with the participants until the end of game if the participants are between 13-16 years old. If policy is not clearly written regarding underage participants, how can anyone blame the parents or the willing kids??

Also , if a brunch of 18 years old show up with springers and scuba mask showed up to your game because they learnt about it on the internet, how would you feel. Will you feel different because they are 'older' ? As far as I concern, they are the same. just because they are older, that doesn't mean that they are mature and won't engage in stupid behaviour.

I still believe it the kids managed to get guns and found their ways into our community, we should not ignore them and turn them away. We need to get them involved and make sure their parents understand what their kids are into. Too many parents think airsoft is a kids game because of their past experience and we need to change their way of thinking. We need to tell them the game is more than just bunch of people shooting at each other. Who knows, some of their fathers may want to join in as well.

[TurlteRaph]

Originally Posted by Pinard

I went to a store with my buddy like a year ago and a father was looking at some airsoft rifles with his son. We went closer to hear what they where saying and all. At some point the father asked us if that gun shot hard (pointing an AK). We told him that it could make some good damage when not handled properly thus it was a 18 y/o game. We also told him his son and him could face possible lawsuits if the kid used it wrong.

The father told his son to forget about it and thanked us for our head up.

Kiddo was mad pissed at us and begged his father with no results.

I think it shows here that the problem is parents not being aware of all the possible issues since it is widely sold and we don't hear much about that sport.

If you don't want any kids in your game, you need to prevent them from getting their hands on airsoft guns. Scaring the parents is one way to do it. The kids may forget about it for a while and bug their parents to get them another toy instead.

But once the kids get their hands on an airsoft gun, whether it is a clear one or not, this will become a different issue and it is up to us to handle it.

[forsberg2110]

Where I play we never had a problem with kids under 16 they are usually the first ones to follow the rules and try to take objectives. The main problem I see is kids between 16 and 20 years of age. These are the kids that spend all there McDonalds job money on there gun and come to the field thinking this COD. Thier gun shoots hot with high ROP and run around like Rambo going full auto on anything that moves.

[Nickaayyy]

Originally Posted by forsberg2110

Where I play we never had a problem with kids under 16 they are usually the first ones to follow the rules and try to take objectives. The main problem I see is kids between 16 and 20 years of age. These are the kids that spend all there McDonalds job money on there gun and come to the field thinking this COD. Thier gun shoots hot with high ROP and run around like Rambo going full auto on anything that moves.

I have to admit, i've had more problems with kid around 16-17 than 12-15 in paintball.

When I used to go at bigfoot, I had more fun with younger. There more willing to follow someone tactics than the older teen and they love being give orders and do milsim stuff and i'm always suprised how they are more careful with the markers too.

But the older teens normally would just insult you and do evreything they want, thinking they wont have any problems (the famous "I'm invisincible, it cant happen to me"). Note there not all like this, but just too much of them

[Aper]

Young kids are more opened to be taugh safety measures and how to safely handle a weapon, and actually following these rules once they're on their own.

Take your average puberty-I-don't-give-a-fuck teen and try to teach them something about safety; yeah right !

[gilps03]

My 10 year old son was all over me to get him an airsoft gun. I started researching online and now I'm the one with 4 guns and doing Milsim's. It has been made clear to him to forget about it until he is 16 (when he can maybe attend a game with me) and that he will not have his own gun until he is 18. He listened to my reasoning and was surprisingly cool with the whole thing. For his latest birthday we took him and a bunch of his friends micro balling (smaller paintballs i think). They all had a great time and followed the rules laid out by the facility without an issue. Himself and a couple of his friends were really good at it. While a few others would need refill after refill of ammo even though they would be first out each round.
So what is the major difference between airsoft and paintball which allows minors to play? Is it all in the renting of the equipment in paintball vs. owning your own weapons in airsoft?

[Danke]

We're not the airsoft police. We don't drive up and down streets hunting for stray BBs in a blacked out van and start canvasing the neighborhood when we find one.

I'm not the parent police. I don't stand on a street corner preaching how to raise your kids.

I have played in games where a parent brought a kid along. Sometimes the kid was a problem and sometimes he wasn't. When the kid was a problem the parent was right on the spot to provide correction.

I don't have any standing to turf a kid who's wandered into a game and I don't carry spare kit to swap their scuba mask (not joking) for a rated set of goggles. If that kid decides to shoot at me my only reasonable option is to step out of the game.

By and large this is an 18+ activity. there are clear exceptions made for exceptional players but translating that into a carte blanche for all kids "because they'll just do it anyway" will never fly. It is up to the individual parents to take control of their children and be directly involved with them in this activity. And that's a pretty good way to raise your kids vs. dropping them at school, dropping them at an activity, and then parking them in their room at a console or computer.

Strongly discouraging access to the tools of the trade for under agers is the most reasonable tool to employ in the process.

Being in Loco Parentis to a bunch of strangers kids who most likely do not understand airsoft is not where I want to be. One shot out adult tooth and a 5K dental bill turns that mom who was happy for 3 hours of peace in the house into someone screaming for a lawyer and stirring a shitstorm up in the media.

Bored clueless kids who have access to AEGs will be more than ready to take them to the park when there is a day that mommy's busy and doesn't want to drive them to the outskirts of town. Contrast that with a child of a player who's actively in the game. First the kid is always going to have a ride to the game and second the guns and supplies will be controlled.

Originally Posted by TurlteRaph

The only different is that Kids will be doing it outside of gate while waiting to get in. Without proper guidance, they are going to do stuff and , perhaps, invent things, that the 'adults' may not approve in the grownup games. Those kids may end up in jail because they did something stupid and it may affect our community.

I am not sure how the games are run in your area, but my local game clearly stated that parents must be present with the participants until the end of game if the participants are between 13-16 years old. If policy is not clearly written regarding underage participants, how can anyone blame the parents or the willing kids??

Also , if a brunch of 18 years old show up with springers and scuba mask showed up to your game because they learnt about it on the internet, how would you feel. Will you feel different because they are 'older' ? As far as I concern, they are the same. just because they are older, that doesn't mean that they are mature and won't engage in stupid behaviour.

I still believe it the kids managed to get guns and found their ways into our community, we should not ignore them and turn them away. We need to get them involved and make sure their parents understand what their kids are into. Too many parents think airsoft is a kids game because of their past experience and we need to change their way of thinking. We need to tell them the game is more than just bunch of people shooting at each other. Who knows, some of their fathers may want to join in as well.

[Aper]

Originally Posted by gilps03

So what is the major difference between airsoft and paintball which allows minors to play? Is it all in the renting of the equipment in paintball vs. owning your own weapons in airsoft?

No, it's all in the "holy fuck that kid has an AK-47 in his hands waiving it around in the streets-going to get shot".

versus the

"haha that retarded kid is playing paintball in the streets no worries i'll call the cops telling them a paintballer is being dumb - will be given a ticket."

[Nickaayyy]

Originally Posted by Aper

No, it's all in the "holy fuck that kid has an AK-47 in his hands waiving it around in the streets-going to get shot".

versus the

"haha that retarded kid is playing paintball in the streets no worries i'll call the cops telling them a paintballer is being dumb - will be given a ticket."

Pretty sure with both you gonna be shot. Some people just need to see a black shaped gun to say theres a psycho in the street.

But airsoft is less known in the society and and can more easily confounded with a real. The impact will be more serious with an airsoft than a paintball :/

[Deadpool]

Originally Posted by Nickaayyy

Pretty sure with both you gonna be shot. Some people just need to see a black shaped gun to say theres a psycho in the street.

But airsoft is less known in the society and and can more easily confounded with a real. The impact will be more serious with an airsoft than a paintball :/

Even sheeple can see the difference between this:





And this:






Police officers won't send the S.W.A.T. and illegally search a home going after the first one. But they'll throw the book at the second one.

[Nickaayyy]

I was more talking compared to a marker like the Bravo One or even the A5 XD.

But yes I know airsoft are more realistic (i'm not that stupid :P), but you dont need to scare people. Couple of friends scared people whille walking with sword and spears made of ductape, so imagine just a shaped-like gun.

But I admit airsoft is always gonna be more dangerous showing them in public than paintball.

[Dimitri]

Originally Posted by Danke

That's true but at the same time you won't see the age to buy booze and cigs lowered to 12

No, but at the same time, it is legal to serve your underage child alcohol. So you end up with legal grey zones.

Like pellet guns, (and airsoft in many stores), a kid may not be able to buy it, but we all know who the parent is buying it for. Especially something like a Daisy.

Originally Posted by Aper

Take your average puberty-I-don't-give-a-fuck teen and try to teach them something about safety; yeah right !

I can't add enough zeros to a +1 on that.

Originally Posted by Deadpool

Even sheeple can see the difference between this:

Coming from firearms before getting airsoft, I can tell you, even with the popularity of the M14 series, seasoned gun owners confuse mine with a ton of different firearms.

I bet the average airsofter knows more about how different guns look (especially military rifles) then the avarage person at a shooting range.

In airsoft there is a big deal placed on variants, customization, making that gun that is supposed to be a AK74U a correct AK74U etc just isn't done as much as you'd think on real firearms, even on the AR, most put a Aimpoint or Trijicon, or if they have a bit of extra cash a S&B and call it a day from what I see.

So no, I doubt the average person on the street can tell the difference. If anything the electric motor and gear box will make people think a airsoft AEG is a toy (like those annoying motorized light "guns") long before a paintball gun that is making loud noises that they'll confuse for gunfire.

Dimitri