Paintball industry basically chucks airsoft under the bus...

[RiotingCows]

I guess that's one more reason it sucks to be in California. It has no effect on anyone else, get over it.

What happens here tends to gain momentum in other states. Sad but true fact.

You have a point, New Zealand just passed a law restricting the importing of military like guns.

But who's to say a bill passed in the northwest will have the same restrictions. As long as air guns stay out of trouble and no accidental shootings happen, law makers here should have no grounds to pass a law.

['Skyhawk']

Anyone else think I'm overreacting when I say we might be seeing the last days of airsoft as a real hobby? I've got this eerie feeling that in five or so years, it's just going to be one of those obscure fads that came and went.

Maybe I'm just pessimistic. Meh.

Airsoft has been around since the late 70's to early '80s so it's way beyond the scope of a Fad. Our Sport is here to stay as long as we make efforts to make it safe and publically recognized as a legitamate Sport.

[Wolverine12]

The only stupid thing is that this would have never happened if they didn't make cheap plastic airsoft guns and sell it at any local store. Instead of just selling top of the line airsoft guns because a little kid is not going to want to spend around $200 on an airsoft gun. Thats why the kid who got shot holding a airsoft gun instead of a paintball gun because those at a local store cost close to $100 then $10.

[Unconventional]

What Skyhawk said.

[Shiloh]

Anyone else think I'm overreacting when I say we might be seeing the last days of airsoft as a real hobby? I've got this eerie feeling that in five or so years, it's just going to be one of those obscure fads that came and went.

Maybe I'm just pessimistic. Meh.

Airsoft has been around since the late 70's to early '80s so it's way beyond the scope of a Fad. Our Sport is here to stay as long as we make efforts to make it safe and publically recognized as a legitamate Sport.

Really, that long? Woah, never knew that. I always thought it was just the late 90's or so.

I do agree that we need to inform the public on what airsoft is and what it means for those who choose to partake in it. But I believe that's also where another issue comes up: The only way some people (Read: Politicians doing nothing more than trying to appease their respective party) will accept airsoft as a recognized hobby is to try and pass bills such as SB798.

And what happens then? I see this as sort of a catch-22 (No, not OUR Catch-22) where we have two choices to be made. Either we can accept this legislation to increase the public knowledge of the hobby, which means that we essentially become paintball.

Or we can choose to fight bills such as SB798, which will inevitabely result in more people rallying AGAINST airsoft, citing the cases of kids being shot or somebody robbing a store with an airsoft gun.

This means that if, as a global community of airsofters, we go this route, airsoft will continue to be a sort of "Back-room" or sub-culture hobby. Really, we're stuck between a rock and hard place the way I see it.

I'm not disagreeing with you on the aspect of public knowledge. People need to KNOW about airsoft and what it is, that much is pretty clear. But to me, there seems to be a fine line between public knowledge and more negative press.

This all just IMO, so take it however you like.

[Blitzkreig]

That's a good point. I liked the way we were, an obscure hobby. But with all these damn kids getting shot at... uh... so frustrating!

All I know is if airsoft does get shut down, I will have put a lot of money down the drain...

[ZombieMan]

We just need to activate, mobilize and organize. I've done plenty of lobbying and community organizing. The call ins and letter writing is good. Next we need a day of action that is where we all call on the same day and basically use a prepared script. When you don't have corporate money you must show community support. Furthermore, California businesses need to let the public know that this hurts small business.

[Wolverine12]

Man the California senate really did stir up the hornets nest by trying to pass SB798. And also I would partake in this event where everyone calls in using a script to help get rid of SB798.

[Ranger Commie]

A good idea is to be setting this up to look more and more like an actual sport than a hobby. If People were to set up protected viewing areas with music and did some advertising on just how safe airsoft is that would work to our advantage. Make these games not exclusive to the players but have spectators and suddenly this is not a dangerous hobby that trains militia but a sport.

Hell football without fans. A bunch of people using military tactics and violence to destroy the other team and send them home. Sounds like a militia.

[Kenneth]

None of this would happen if parents would just keep airsoft guns out of the hands of their stupid irresponsible children. Just yesterday i was at my local skate park and there were two kids playing with airsoft guns in the middle of a public park. They were shooting them around like it wasn't a big deal. When i asked them to put them away because they are going to get in trouble they simply giggled and said "they don't shoot that far so its fine" I finally ended up yelling at them when i was almost shot in the face by one of them. They then left but it just goes to show, don't buy your little, imature, irresponsible kid an airsoft gun!

[Shiloh]

Universal Commie: So how exactly does that make us any different from paintball?

[phiz]

I'll let you shoot me with low powered .177 before I'll use a paintball gun.

Full eye/body/face armor required. No visible skin.

Red Ryder War. Game on.

Just like I used to do when I was a kid. Only no face / body / eye armor. Just blood. We thought limiting to 15 pumps was safe enough.

[Wolverine12]

Here is a website that I found spread the word Airsoft Safety Foundation Also here is a site for signing a petition Airsoft Petition Spread the word, doing nothing will help no one.

['Skyhawk']

Excellent! This is just the type of thing airsoft needs. Thanks for posting this. You should post it as a new topic on the forum so more people will read it and be informed that it is in existance.
http://www.airsoftsafetyfoundation.org/

for some reason the other link was inop.

[nb]

It's because "//url" was added to the end of the URL.
Take that out and both links work fine.