Saturday, April 10, 2010

Hate and Airsoft

Get the T-shirt at
 
 
 I was doing some research online and was perusing some "real Steel" gun forums that I normally don't spend the time to read. I found it odd that the subject of how much people "hate" airsoft comes up in a lot of these online venues.
 
It started me thinking about how much the word "hate" comes up in airsoft forums also. 
I have spent 25 years walking in both camps, so maybe I am not the perfect one to understand this, but it vexes me to no end.
 
Let's start with the RS forums ( I have even read a posting on how that person hate's the term "real steel") 
 
HATE AND REAL STEEL

I have read how much they hate airsoft guns, airsoft players, airsoft accessories and just anything that has to do with airsoft in general.
 
I can understand some of their arguments, 
  if you do a Google search for a part, 90% of your 1st hits are airsoft.
 
Airsoft breaks the 1st rule of firearms safety 
(Never point a gun at something your not willing to destroy)
 
Some kid will point a airsoft gun at a cop and will get killed
Some one will use an airsoft gun to rob somebody.

They go on and on, ad nausem. Let me just give you my take on these 4.
 
1. Learn how to do a proper Google search and this will not be an issue, just as you learn how to shoot and not blow off any of your body parts, learn how to search so you don't blow your stack on a gun forum
 
2.Yes, I agree about pointing guns at people that don't need killed. but in a controlled environment this happens all the time.
LE training with simunitions, paintball games, Military training with MILES gear. When I was young we had BB gun wars and also took shotgun shells, cut out the shot and had wad fights 
(DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME)
Stupid? YES, but we grew out of that phase before anyone got hurt.
Airsoft is an extension of these endeavors, one that although can take an eye out, has not killed anyone yet
(Except in Japan)
Boys will be boys, no matter what age they are, when everyone stops playing, I don't want to be around then.
I have seen stupid crap happen at airsoft games, but I have also seen very stupid crap happen at ranges and pistol and rifle matches.
 
3. Some kid points one at a cop, his parents should be to blame, not the inanimate object. People get killed pointing cell phones at cops. If you are to young to understand that you shouldn't do this, you are too young to have a airsoft gun. If you are too stupid to understand this, then you are just too stupid to walk around anyway.
 
4. This argument first came up in 1986 when we had the first display of airsoft at the SHOT show that year, I must have heard it a thousand times, after the first day my retort became this statement, " If I could give every criminal in the US an airsoft gun free, I would, line um up, let's do it. Wouldn't you rather have them pointing a plastic pistol at you than a .32?"
I said it so much it just came out of my mouth before they had gotten half their statement out.
I have only heard one other statement used more, I used to have a knife shop and people would drag their friends in from the mall to point at a bowie and say "Now, that's a knife"  Damn Mick Dundee to hell!!!
 
HATE AND AIRSOFT 
 
You see this come up in airsoft also, I hate noobs, paintsofters, chairsofters, real milers, hi caps, box mags, sniperkids, halokids, full face masks and on and on.

These I can not even wrap my head around to understand, we were all noobs once, even if you came from Seal team six and Dick Marchino had at one time ate part of your liver to survive, you were still an airsoft noob at your 1st game.
 
Sniperkids grow up fast, only takes a game or two.
 
Paintsofters and Real millers, play at different times or different places. It's all for fun, we are not training to take over the town hall.
 
Chairsofters, I have become one lately, soon it will be wheelchairsofter, but hey, I get my own designation then. 
 
Before I start channeling Roddy King, I just want to say, 
we should all hang together, or we will certainly hang separately.
 
In the coming months we will see attacks on our sport of Airsoft, up until this point in time we flew under the radar. Now with glossy airsoft magazines on your local newsstands, 26 booths with something to do with airsoft at the SHOT show and Airsoft stores springing up in strip malls throughout the US, we are going mainstream.   
All I would like to see is us to dial back the hate, just one notch.
If they get our toy guns, it's one step away from our real ones. If they get the real one's, do you think they will let us keep our toys for long?
What do you think?





 

4 comments:

  1. i definitely am your daughter i cant believe these stupid people we have in this world! next lets blame the video games and everything else in this world! i knew not to touch a gun loaded, not, fake, real, before i could speak :) loove you daddy

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  2. You said it brother. I'm 45 and I like collecting airsoft guns...I can't afford a real Tommy gun. I like to plink in the backyard and airsoft is great for that. I too have noticed that everyone on those stupid forums always end up fighting and name calling. I don't remember us kids hatin' so much back in the old dayz, what has happened? I agree with you, we should all learn to hang together or they will take our fun away cuz of a few dumb apples. I like my real guns and my airguns. Different times and places and uses. LOL I guess I've become a "chairsofter...I have a target range set up down the hall from my lazyboy and I shoot whenever I want in the house with airsoft. Can't do that with my Winchester.

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  3. I am commonly known as Airsoftky on youtube, theairsoftsoldier.com and the website own...I can't stand the constant fighting. With that said, I am a Strict Mil-sim Airsofter. I've played paintball, and at one time own a paintball marker; but airsoft caught my eye because it primarily depicts the military. the career I'm heading for is Army EOD, and I can practice that in my beloved sport that I share with so many. I strongly recommend joining theairsoftsoldier.com, and come check out my site. My team and I (PMC Airsoft) with offer any support in this battle that we fight. We will go strong until we win---"Roger that...Over and Out"

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  4. my major hate with air soft as a real handgun owner to sift through the air soft bullshit at times really gets under my skin as for the rest i really don't mind the idea but its hard to find info on my desert eagle with out going through the COD kid wanna Be's posting there bullshit every where

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