Poll: Your thoughts on Airsoft/BB Guns

[C95J]

Personally I do not see any problems with them and just see it as a fun way to mess around with friends but have noticed that lots of people are against them and are even banned in some countries.

All I want to know is why people are so worried about them because they are harmless and only fire little plastic pellets and Airsofting as a sport is much less painful than paint balling.
Everybody seems to have mixed views and if you have a gun like this what do you think of the people on the opposite side of the argument.

As a professional sport it is one of the safest around and can be great fun. So what are all the different countries governments so worried about?

EDIT: Yes eye protection should naturally be worn, and I also feel sorry for the Escapists in Australia as I have heard they are illegal over there (correct me if I am wrong).

EDIT 2: Some background info. I live in the UK, where most people my age are idiot chavs with no prospect (or so it seems) and I happen to have purely for messing around with my mates, not cause crime. Also it is illegal for any producer to sell an Airsoft gun without painting it 50% a bright colour first, and it is also illegal to paint or modify an Airsoft gun.

 

[Darkgoosey666]

well in the hands of younger kids that dont know about them i suppose they could hit an eye, other than that i agree with you. With proper safety precautions it can be hilarious and great fun

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Uh-huh, I love Airsofting. I have the best of all worlds - I have a paintball gun, Airsoft guns, a BB gun, and a .22 rimfire.[footnote]For those wondering, I got the paintball gun from my brother, BB gun from my other brother, .22 from my dad and paid for the Airsoft[/footnote]

Yes, safety is necessary, but really those who get harmed from the things are the people who shouldn't be holding them.

 

[2fish]

Personally I do not see any problems with them and just see it as a fun way to mess around with friends but have noticed that lots of people are against them and are even banned in some countries.

All I want to know is why people are so worried about them because they are harmless and only fire little plastic pellets and Airsofting as a sport is much less painful than paint balling.
Everybody seems to have mixed views and if you have a gun like this what do you think of the people on the opposite side of the argument.

As a professional sport it is one of the safest around and can be great fun. So what are all the different countries governments so worried about?

I said they are for fun, yes people can do stupid stuff with them but that is why you have keepers parents, to teach you what not to do.

However I noticed one thing, your post contradicts your avatar, please fix this as Blackadder would never be so worried about other people and their rights.

 

[tsb247]

I LOVE airsofting. It is a great way to simulate combat in a controlled environment with little risk of serious injury. However, I am strongly against letting young children play with them. Kids tend to get into trouble with them, and that is why there is an age restriction (18) on who can buy them in most airsoft shops near me.

I personally carry a Marui G36C and a Marui MP7A1.

 

[C95J]

Personally I do not see any problems with them and just see it as a fun way to mess around with friends but have noticed that lots of people are against them and are even banned in some countries.

All I want to know is why people are so worried about them because they are harmless and only fire little plastic pellets and Airsofting as a sport is much less painful than paint balling.
Everybody seems to have mixed views and if you have a gun like this what do you think of the people on the opposite side of the argument.

As a professional sport it is one of the safest around and can be great fun. So what are all the different countries governments so worried about?

I said they are for fun, yes people can do stupid stuff with them but that is why you have keepers parents, to teach you what not to do.

However I noticed one thing, your post contradicts your avatar, please fix this as Blackadder would never be so worried about other people and their rights.

Hmmm... I have a cunning plan

 

[Griphphin]

My friends and I were into airsoft on and off for a few years, and it's pretty fun (especially when your friend climbs onto a deaf woman's roof for a better vantage point xD). More practical imo than paintball. Less maintenance, lower cost, less mess, etc.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

They are just for fun and responsible usage of them does not bring any harm.

So why would anyone have any problems with airsoft and paintball guns?

 

[2fish]

Spoiler

Personally I do not see any problems with them and just see it as a fun way to mess around with friends but have noticed that lots of people are against them and are even banned in some countries.

All I want to know is why people are so worried about them because they are harmless and only fire little plastic pellets and Airsofting as a sport is much less painful than paint balling.
Everybody seems to have mixed views and if you have a gun like this what do you think of the people on the opposite side of the argument.

As a professional sport it is one of the safest around and can be great fun. So what are all the different countries governments so worried about?

I said they are for fun, yes people can do stupid stuff with them but that is why you have keepers parents, to teach you what not to do.

However I noticed one thing, your post contradicts your avatar, please fix this as Blackadder would never be so worried about other people and their rights.

Hmmm... I have a cunning plan

As cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?
(ok I promise I am done...really)
Why has no one here brough up A Christmas Story? You'll shoot your eye out! If my memory serve I had the same bb gun as they used in the movie.

I personally prefer nerf over airsoft, but hey they are close enough that I can't see any good reason to not let kids have them.

 

[Macflash]

People's main concerns are that they look like real weapons. If you point one at someone they won't be able to tell if they're fake. They all come with the little orange tip, but its easily painted over or removed. People have been killed/hurt because they've pointed them at cops, who then reacted as if they were real guns.

Airsoft guns, when properly used and handled, are really fun, and a way better option than paintball. It's less expensive and safer. Paintball is fun, but after being shot 4 times in the armpit from 5 feet away.....I've kind of have lost my interest in it. That and team killing. Why do my friends think its funny to shoot me in the back of the neck when I'm not expecting it?

Also, about BB guns, they are dangerous, I don't like them. If you get shot in the eye, you're blind.

 

[Jamash]

I think one of the reason why governments are worried about them (especially in countries where firearms are restricted) is that they're practically indistinguishable from real guns yet they can be bough over the counter in hobby shops.

In the UK people have committed armed robbery with them, and separately the police have shot dead idiots carrying them in public, all because they look like real guns.

 

[MissPixxie]

About a year ago my horse was limping, some kid had put a BB gun to his leg and a pellet had become lodged in his foreleg. No massive damage was done but... I'm not against the guns themselves, just the idiots that use them.

The problem I have is that there is (as far as I am aware) no regulation as to who can have one. I have no problem with the guns themselves, just that anyone can get hold of one, and that's my problem.

Edit: Ok, there is an age restriction for use, 14. I'm sorry, but that's still absurd.

 

[KingGolem]

Bah, they're silly toys, and they don't interest me at all. I have nothing against some other people having them, but I reserve the right to kick someone's ass if they shoot me with one.

 

[Signa]

Airsoft is just a hardcore nerf gun. Sure, there are some overpowered AS guns, but generally speaking, AS is probably the best kind of play weapon there is. BB guns, as seen in A Christmas Story is hardly a toy. I would classify it as a non-lethal weapon. If you want to teach kids about weapon safety, then this is the way to start. I don't see a need for an age restriction for the Airsofts, but there should at least be some parental consent to getting a BB/Pellet gun. Those are too dangerous to just hand out like candy.

 

[silentrob77]

My buddy owns one of the rifle types and we used to take shots at the office windows (i lived in an apartment). It was hirlarious watching everyone look around every time one pinged off the window.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

All I want to know is why people are so worried about them because they are harmless and only fire little plastic pellets and Airsofting as a sport is much less painful than paint balling.

Correction, it isn't really harmless. I've tried out airsoft and spoken to some veterans about it and you do run the risk of getting seriously hurt if you don't wear strong protection to your eyes and face. While most people do have eye protection, some have made the mistake of foregoing face proection and it has lead to getting their teeth shattered when hit by airsoft pellets.

This because no gun in airsoft really stays at "factory standard". Practicioners often modify their guns to have higher rate of fire, accuracy and power (which increaes range and the ability to not get the pellets completely blocked by foliage), which means that they can seriously hurt someone if fired on too short range or they hit a vulnerable spot.

So it's not very "harmless" unless proper safety precautions are taken.

 

[chstens]

BB Guns are for killing radroaches and should be discarded to save inventory space as soon as you leave the vault.

 

[Bruin]

No, they are useless.

Why? Because they are. Glorifying guns and combat isn't necessary, giving this opportunity to children just makes me /facepalm. Personally I don't care what people do as long as it doesn't hurt me, so I won't say "Nobody should have them", I just think they're useless and stupid toys for kids who want to one-up their 360 after they've played Halo one too many times.

That, and I don't find it fun. I don't like combat in the first place. I'd like to keep my knuckles off the ground, thank you.

 

[JLML]

I don't have anything against them. I don't have one myself, but I do have a air-RIFLE. The kind that is actually harmful to be hit by. Not powerful enough to require a weapons license (muzzle velocity 200 meters/second or higher) but powerful enough for it to hurt like hell to be hit, and being able to leave a nasty wound. My cousin actually got shot (in the face. Forehead to be exact. No jokes about that please.) once, the "bullet" got stuck in the bone. He had to go to the hospital the next day to get it removed. The guy who shot actually had a hunters license. I guess my cousin was lucky he didn't aim for the eyes. Or maybe he did... <.<

Anyway, I don't think they're harmful, unless they're in the wrong hands. Then they become a problem. Then again, a kitchen knife is harmful in the wrong hands. Much more so than an airsoft. If used by mature people who know what to do with them, and only used at people protected (something for the face mostly) and in on it, then it's ok.

 

[Ensiferum]

I've played quite a bit of both airsoft as well as paintball and have gotten plenty of enjoyment out of both. I think they're great if used properly and playing both "sports" actually gave me quite a healthy respect for firearms and good understanding of fire-arm safety.