Time for a Rehash, past time

Yes, I am still alive.

Sorry I have been dark for so long, 

the fact that I lost "best airsoft blog" to some Hipster with a shaved rat masquerading 

as a dog put me in to a blue funk .

I drowned my sorrows in many a bottle of  Jim Beam premium bourbon, spent many hours walking the streets, chanting and slapping my head with a book of "The 10 Commandments of Aisoft by SCARR"  

(really, I have just been busy at work)

So, I am back and the 1st thing I am going to do is rehash something I wrote a few years ago.

I have seen this coming up again more and more on the various airsoft and RS forums I inhabit.

I think it's time to say it again

From March 25th 2010

   

Security for airsoft and other things in life

We all can't have a super hero hanging around the house, so we need to watch out for ourselves.

I have been perusing the internet the past few days, reading lots of forums for real steel guns and have noticed some things I wanted to talk about.

It seems like we all (airsoft and RS) love to show off our collections online.

Over the last couple days I have viewed some incredible collections of Firearms, High end collectible knives and airsoft guns. They are all on open forums, hooked to a screen name.

That screen name nine times out of ten has a profile connected to it with the hometown of the poster.

Sometimes even the persons real name is also available.

Now lets say you post up a collection of Vrosapale pistols, you are very proud that you have scoured the world to find all models of this unique piece.

A few weeks later you post that you are on your way to the Vrosapale collectors convention half way across the county and you will be off the forums for 5 days. You revel in your Twitter updates about you most recent find at the show, or what a jerk that last guy you dealt with was.

What have you just done?

Have you just told someone that you have valuable items and you will be gone from .to.?

What do you think?

I know you have a gun safe, but don't you think in two days time someone can't get into it, most of the time using tools from your own shop?

What about the other things showing in the pictures, computer systems, flat screens and all the cool movie collectibles in your "man room"?

Do you think bad people don't read Glocktalk, AR15.com or ASR?

I bring this up because years (way too many) ago I was doing the gun show circuit in FL, 51 weekends a year, driving from one end of the state to another, setting up on on Fri, break down and home Sun night.

We had a time when a small group would come to the show on Sunday, tag a dealer that had a nice display and then wait around till close down and loadout and follow him home. Sometimes they hit as soon as the dealer got home or to his shop, sometimes waiting till the next day if it was a collector who worked during the week.

One dealer got killed and a few got hurt and they didn't stop until they screwed up and  got caught.

Now it's 2012, we have Google maps, Google name search, find anyone for 8 dollars and tons of other neat ways to locate an address.
 (and since I wrote this the 1st time, wonderful Google and IPhone apps that can tell everyone exactly where you are , right to the minute.)

Am I too paranoid? (can you be today?)

I learned to keep every thing collectible or rare at an off-site storage location. That and insurance keeps it away from myself and loved ones

.

It does suck that we can no longer have the "Trophy" rooms of yesteryear.

(even if you never have posted a picture, how about the bug guy, meter reader, the guy who trims your trees.

Do you think they might have looked in the window and passed on how cool your cave was?)

From AOL article, 

 Some insurance companies are catching on. Legal & General Insurance in New England says Facebook and Twitter users could be hit with higher homeowner's insurance premiums. Why? All that blabbing about activities away from home means they face a higher risk of burglary.

The company thinks burglars are actually "shopping" for victims on social media sites, looking not only for an indication you're not at home, but also photos of your home and valuables. That cute picture of your son hugging the dog? A burglar is looking in the background, eyeing your big-screen TV and new stereo system.

And it's not just adults. Teenagers are even more likely to post personal information, so Legal & General has warned that parents who aren't even online themselves could face higher homeowner's insurance premiums if their children are online.

So, a month after I post, others catch on, welcome to the party, Pal

Even though I have a overlapping video system with my next door neighbors, a alarm system, Two big dogs and a neighbor on one side who's a Reserve police officer and has a home office where he works that overlooks my house and on the other side is a just retired Navy DEVGRP 20 year man who has nothing better to do than sit on his back porch and shoot guns most of the day (and night, for the past damn week!) I still want to keep the good stuff locked up.

I hate that when I want to review a gun or get ready to go to a gun match or a airsoft game that I have to lay in another 40 mins to go by and pick up what I need, but I would hate to have a shootout at my house or even worse  to come home and find what I had worked 40 years for ransacked and off at some pawn shop.

My stuff is pretty safe and yes, I have gone overboard but it gives me piece of mind that I have done all I can, if I get hit now, that's what insurance is for.

Just some random thoughts that came into my head and I wanted to share them, and because I am old and it's my Blog, I did, Nah nah neey po po

I am losing it

Please share your thoughts on this in the comments.

See you tomorrow

Till then, Check 6

BATFE again, Some GBBR's are firearms

Here we go again.

A Seattle TV station has posted a story to their website linking some internal memos obtained from BATFE

http://images.bimedia.net/documents/Internal+ATF+memo+on+airsoft+findings.pdf

Now these memo's predate the  the BATFE website entry's we had found earlier.

http://noairsoftforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/11/and-now-ggbr-m4m16s-are-legal-again-ta.html

BUT,  now we have this letter dated Feb 2 2011

http://images.bimedia.net/documents/ATF+statement+to+KING.pdf

I spent almost an hour talking with a BATFE representative at SHOT show about this issue,

He would not go "on record" but did say that it was still ongoing and something would be released within a few weeks.

Now, here it is a few weeks later and we get this.

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Government-Documents-Declare-Popular-Toy-a-firearm-115198119.html 

They are firearms, They are not firearms, They are toys, They are guns,

frankly, even I am getting confused.

I thought this part of the news article was particularly telling,

While ATF has ruled that guns like this are firearms, it appears to still be stinging from the criticism.

ATF refused to explain on camera what its ruling means to people who buy or possess these guns. The public records we received are heavily censored. Even those marked "media plan" are blacked-out.

Please, it would be great to know if the "thousands"  of these toys
in the hands of American citizens are illegal or not.


A lot of people seem to think that if the GBBR they own is ruled 
a automatic firearm that they will still be OK, that ATFE has bigger fish to fry and won't bother them.
For those people I would like to point you to this site
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Olofson

This guy had a AR with worn out parts that went auto for three rounds then jammed,

he was sentenced to and is serving  30 month s in a federal prison.

As right or wrong in your eyes this may be, it is a very serious matter.

I am not a lawyer or legal council, I don't even own a GBBR, the only iron I have in this fight is

the fact that this issue is getting very little notice.

It could unwittingly make unknowing people into criminals in the eyes of BATFE.

Airsoft has yet to have any form of lobbying body or watchdog group 

like real firearms have to protect our interests.

Older posts with info on this subject
http://noairsoftforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/11/and-now-ggbr-m4m16s-are-legal-again-ta.html

http://noairsoftforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-official-gbb-m-4s-are-firearms-per.html

http://noairsoftforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/06/looks-like-it-is-official-wajg-gbb-m-4.html

Related articles

• "Washington Post Editorial: Administration Reverses Proposal to Cut ATF Budget" and related posts (ticklethewire.com)
• "The ATF shotgun study: "Nothing less than an assault on an aspect of our culture, which includes military traditions and interests."" and related posts (sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com)

More Licensing issues with Airsoft, Lawsuits, or worse, to come?

Madbull just released this out to the Airsoft Community
Nov 20th 2010

( Bold is my addition)

Dear Airsoft players and manufacturers,
We are proud to announce that Madbull Airsoft have been granted official licensing from Troy Industries, PRI (Precision Reflex Inc.), Surefire Suppressors, Lancer Systems, Reset Inc. (U.S. Army future soldier systems), KelTec, and Viking Tactics (U.S. Retired Delta Force). Many more are currently in the works too!
Madbull Airsoft will also begin to work with more than 20 US Firearm companies for “Operation Copycat” an international operation to combat all unauthorized copies from Asia. This large scale operation will be run by several law firms, Customs Agencies, and local law enforcement.
Most unauthorized copies are 1:1 scale which can be easily applied to a real firearm. This poses a problem because whereas they are 100% visual copies they are not constructed by the same materials and do not possess the same build quality. This is a huge risk to any end user since it’s highly probable that the copy will malfunction and cause serious damage to both the weapon and user. Many of these firearm companies receive damaged returns which turn out to be an unauthorized copy that has failed but bare all the correct trademarks but were manufactured in Asia. Note that all these copies were imported illegally and that any product baring unauthorized trademarks or trade dress is against the law.
But it’s not all bad news; some good news is that a few Asian manufacturers have given us their full cooperation with our efforts. A notable mention would be, Tokyo Marui, a highly reputable company.
We at Madbull highly encourage other airsoft manufacturers and players to support legal, authorized, and officially licensed products. This is a win-win for all; licensors (who respectively pay to use trademarks), real steel manufacturers (for all their hard work and countless hours developing these products), and players who get to enjoy 1:1 scaled airsoft only authorized replicas. All the royalties paid is motivation for real firearm companies to continue to create more great and exciting products. This benefits both the real gun industry along with the airsoft industry and ultimately you the airsoft player.
Any questions or inquiries, feel free to contact our license department: info@isgk.org
Sincerely,
Madbull Airsoft

Sounds to me like if you are waiting for a shipment from Asia of some "Grey Markets" parts, the chance of them getting here has just gone way down.

I need to put some more thought into this subject before I jump in with a rant.

While I do totally agree with Licensing, and have even worked with people in that area for a company,

(not airsoft), I can also see the other side of this issue.

I had a very prophetic conversation with a long time airsoft journalist at the 2010 SHOT show.

My stance was that all of us in the industry had to become more professional and convey a better image.

I had met many airsofters that week that projected the "skateboarder" persona 

and I thought it was detrimental if we ever wanted to be "taken seriously"

( In my defense, I am old and started this fight in 1986, 

long before 99% of the people in airsoft now were born).

His stance was that we had to keep it more underground, that if more of the "suits" found out about us, it would ruin airsoft.

Looking back today, I think he was right.

Airsoft is growing up, the days of enthusiasts opening companies to sell to like minded players are ending.

MBA are running airsoft companies now, 

with P&L statements and some with even shareholders to answer to.

I am going to go out on a limb here and predict that five years from today 

( if the world is here after Dec 23 2012, that is)

Airsoft as we know it will not be airsoft as we know it now.

Systemic change comes to every industry, it has to if it is to survive.

Are we finally seeing airsoft grow up?

Or did Madbull just jump the shark.

Till Tomorrow,

Stay Thirsty my friends.

Random Internet sites you should see.

And you wonder why I carry a 45, everywhere

Just some random info on some internet sites that I like or use.

1st site is a old school airsoft gun modder, he made some cool stuff, looks like he has quit though, no updates for a while, must have found out about girls!

http://infernogmbh.iwarp.com/photo.html

Next one has some great info if you dig through the site, scenarios, mods and reviews. 

http://unconventional-airsoft.com/posts/

If your looking for reviews, this site has lots of older pistols and sub guns you might be looking at on Ebay

I always hit it 1st if I am looking up info on a pistol.

http://www.justpistols.co.uk/

This is so me, always trying to be cool

Now, if you are just looking for fun, this is my favorite time killing website.

 http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/Main_Page

I mainly go into it to edit others mistakes, because I know all, about everything. Sometimes though it is just fun to click random page and see what comes up. Do not believe everything you read on here though, I have not got to "every" page to edit it yet!!!!!

And I can use these, and still be fat!

This site is good if you are searching for a picture of a gun that is not in the mainstream.

If you are a "Firearm Enthusiast " (see Doug, I got it right) then it is just cool to click on guns you have never heard of, there are some strange ones on here.

http://www.securityarms.com/

For just killing time, you can not beat Cracked, I have spent many a sleepless evening on this site.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-20-stupidest-gi-joe-vehicles-ever/

These guys have a great blog, another time waster


http://www.breachbangclear.blogspot.com/

 Russia's new missile defense system, Kindda looks like the same one they had in WWII.

This site is opinionated, not very fond of airsofters, but has a very biting wit and some darn good info, Kind of like SOF magazine or Gung Ho in the old days.

http://www.deathvalleymag.com/

Last one for now, great info here on Real steel guns

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/

I lied, you also need to check this one out each day for gear, kit and weapons info for the military minded.

http://soldiersystems.net/

That's it for now, these links will keep you busy for a while.

Remember to look for NAFOM on facebook, we are up to 30 members now.

I am hopping to break 35 by months end, so pimp me out to all your friends.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=137233122957429&ref=mf

Until tomorrow,

Stay Thirsty My Friends