NOTICE to the Community

Folks,

It has come to my attention that the Assignment Editor for CityTV in Toronto has contacted members of the Airsoft Community looking for information regarding our use of "Replica Handguns".

I would like to ask that any individual from this community who is approached by any media source regarding this topic be extremely careful in your communications regarding the sport and the availability of AEG or GBB's.

Based on the questions being asked, it is extremely likley that any information volunteered will be used in the context of the current discussions to ban replica hand guns in various regions of Ontario. I should further note that City TV has a history of anti-gun support, and that fact should not be ignored when their assignment editor asks where he can get his hands on one our pistols.

Any information provided is likely to be presented in such a way as to have negative connotations given the current gun problems in Toronto and the visibilty that guns have in the media at this point in time. There is very little positive perception with regard to handgun use in any form, particularly when the target audience resides in an area which has been recently victimized through the criminal use of firearms and replica firearms. Our position is that of a minority which may come under unwanted scrutiny as a result of seemingly harmless statements made to a media Assignment Editor.

Note that a seemingly harmless offer to expose your collection of 12 GBB's and AEG's to the media on request may seem like a good idea to strengthen the perception of airsoft as a legitimate gun sport, but would very likely result in an outright ban on Airsoft guns by name within a short time of the story being aired.

I ask that you keep the community closed to the media, at least in the scope of the current discussions regarding replica firearms. If and when the time is right, perhaps our sport can be safely exposed for the game that it is; that time is not now, however, and I ask that you do whatever is possible within the law to protect our sport from undue and unwanted persecution.

Thanks,

Morb

[DEA]

110% agree with Morb!! Please, just don't make any statements. Chances are it will be taken out of context, and the media will put a very negative spin on our sport. Anything airsoft should be kept out of the media's crosshairs! Also, it's very well known that Ontario has a very large anti-gun population, so absolutely no good could possible come from something like this.

[Bigmatty]

Good call Rob.

I made this post stick for awhile

[Scarecrow]

Further to this the assignment editor indicated that he has reporters out looking for retail operations that are selling airsoft guns so they can 'get pictures of them'. He specifically wanted to be able to take an airsoft pistol to a police station and interview a police officer, showing him the gun and getting his response. I can't see how we could get a positive response from this, no matter how I look at it, even if the police officer is an airsofter. The AE said this story is a segway from the fellow that police shot back in 2000 at an emergency room in Mississauga and they are rolling that into the current debate about handguns in Toronto. What I told him about that was police would have shot that guy if he was wielding a bar of soap shaped like a gun, real, replica, imitation or bb gun, it does not matter, its considered a dangerous firearm until evidence to the contrary.

I love our sport, but even if we dress in fuzzy bunny outfits and shoot pink bbs at one another, the fact remains that this sport is NOT soccer mom friendly and won't play well in the media.

In essence, don't get suckered into showing anything to anyone no matter how well intentioned they may appear to be or what spin they give you about the story they are doing. I've had dealings with City-TV about 17 years ago, was on camera, and my words and the story got twisted around like you would not believe. Don't trust them.

[JacoNB]

Unfortunately, it probably won't be a member of the airsoft community that goes on air with all his guns and tells everyone how easy they are to get... it'll be a 16 year old --with a soccer mom that spoils him rotten and buys him whatever he wants -- that gets on the air and makes us all look like knobs.

The media isn't fair and unbiased... chances are they're LOOKING for someone to demonize. It makes for good ratings when people are scared, and that's what they're looking to do. Scare the people into believing that airsoft = criminal activity.

Thanks for letting us know... (I don't live in Toronto, but it won't be long before the same thing starts happening in the maritimes.)

Folks, to be clear this is not a "OMG ITS TEH END OF AIRSOFT" thread. I just want to bring attention to the fact that CityTV is ACTIVELY looking to do a story on airsoft guns, and NOT on airsoft. Therefore, it would appear that their intention is to present the guns, and not the sport.

This is IMPORTANT. A great deal of Canada's legislation comes out of knee-jerk reactions to public opinion in Toronto. A story on CityTV watched by a dozen councillors and god-knows how many MP's can turn into a call in the commons for national law banning the guns outright.

Think before you act, please.

[Armyissue]

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

.....indicated that he has reporters out looking for retail operations that are selling....

Yeah I got a quote for you
" Dude, I sell Pants! "

Thanks for the heads up Guys.

[Scarecrow]

BTW, the AE specifically mentioned going down to Pacific Mall to look for airsoft guns.

[thorvald]

Just send them to Canadian Tire and tell em to take pictures of Crossman Pellet pistols, they are full metal and look 100% real.

"RepeatAir® 1008SB CO2 pistol

Single or double action semi-automatic pistol. Great for fast-action fun. Fires eight rounds as fast as you can squeeze the shot off.
Model 1008SB"

Power Source: co2
Caliber: .177 (4.5 mm)
Max Velocity: up to 430 fps (131.2 m/s)
Capacity: 8-shot rotary clip
Length: 8.63" (21.9 cm)
Weight: 1 lb. 1 oz. (.48 kg.)
Material: Barrel: Rifled steel, Grip and Frame: Synthetic


http://www.crosman.com/site/listing/1028

[ATREYU]

Guy's the best thing to do is make like a liberal and say "no comment". Be polite though, and now matter how good they make it sound and how nice they are, don't buy it.

[Amgoosen]

Originally Posted by JacoNB

Unfortunately, it probably won't be a member of the airsoft community that goes on air with all his guns and tells everyone how easy they are to get... it'll be a 16 year old --with a soccer mom that spoils him rotten and buys him whatever he wants -- that gets on the air and makes us all look like knobs.

The media isn't fair and unbiased... chances are they're LOOKING for someone to demonize. It makes for good ratings when people are scared, and that's what they're looking to do. Scare the people into believing that airsoft = criminal activity.

Thats what I am afraid of, they will look past all the responsible mature airsofters and find the few retarded teenagers with canadian tire guns to base their segments on. The fear mongering bastards they are...

[Scarecrow]

I did take the opportunity to address his lack of knowledge of the classification of guns in his referring to airsoft guns as 'replicas'. I explained bb guns, pellet guns, imitation firearms (airsoft/not illegal), replica firearms (non-firing illegal guns), registered handguns (legal) and unregistered or stolen handguns (illegal), and that it would be helpful if the media used the correct references when reporting stories about said guns because everything is incorrectly being labelled a replica.

[Armyissue]

I just saw the SUN paper today there's a big pic of a glock and a small article about nothing intelligent. More print Info, smaller pictures, unless you really have nothing intelligent to say then the pic goes up in ratio to the print. Good paper guys. Stick to the half naked chicks, they got you this far.
Cheers

[ATREYU]

I agree with you Jay 100%. I like you, know a few cops that play, and have been told exactly what you just said. The problem as I see it, is the debate we as a community are always having on this. We can't seem to even agree amongst ourselves. So how can we circle the wagons when the bad guys come?! Getting quotes from the criminal code yet again in yet another thread isn't going to do anything except fuel the fire when the "interested parties" come looking on this thread for information. To all the forum "lawyers": when you graduate with an LLb from Osgoode Hall and have persuaded a judge how to interpret the law as it relates to our equipment, then come back and tell us how it works. Until then, shelve yer legal mumbo jumbo. There are cops that play here, if it were that illegal, they wouldn't be risking thier chosen profession by playing and/or owing the equipment.

[Zeonprime]

THX for the Head's up Rob and Jay