Where do you draw the line of what is threatening? Is my avatar threatening? I'm pointing a gun, just not directly at that camera. Some people find the mere photo of a gun threatening. We're going to end up deleting most photos from this site if he try not to scare soccer moms.

your age has a lot to do with the problem and so does everyone else that is a child (you are a child)but feels they are responsible or mature enough, every time a child circumvents the processes we have in place now to aquire an airsoft weapon they weaken our stand against soccer moms.

I am all for "something" to happen proactively with us a community, but you shouldn't really be adding anything to the conversation if you are under age.
we don't ask 14 year olds for driving instructions

how about you hold your comments on activism within airsoft until you can legally own airsoft

Now have your fit, if you were mature enough you would understand that this is a sport for adults and you can wait, but you won't

One of the issues is
 

that the majority of the community uses the same term for the activities performed with the weapon simulators and weapon simulators themselves.

one of the first things we need to do is separate the activity from the simulators.

It gets very confusing to use the same word as both a verb and a noun in the same sentence.

People calling themselves "airsofters" ... or playing "airsoft" sounds childish and is hangover from their days as "paintballers"

What we really do is " modern combat re-creation" using mostly harmless simulated weapons.

The Brits got their exclusion from prohibition to posses and trade in realistic imitation firearms under a "historical Re-enactment" waiver in the law.
because they were able to illustrate a viable case for the need to have access to realistic imitation firearms, as well as other weapons such as swords, spears, ect,
They separated the issue from the object.. and were successful in distancing themelves from the illicit users of the same objects.

There is a community here, that also enjoys the activity of "Modern Combat Re-creation" ... it just so happens that our prefered choice for weapon simulators are a class of imitation firearms commonly known as "airsoft guns"

In legal circles little things such as semantics can have a large effect.

I for one never mention "airsoft" anymore I call them "training simulators" or Simulated Weapons

I think one of the first steps in preserving this activity is making a clear separation between what we do and what we use.

True, its my perception, and maybe others too. I'm not threatend by a avatar because I understand it. But the guns alone appear threatening to some. Having them pointed at the camera is a pointing at the person veiwing.
No I don't want to please soccer moms, but I do understand "anti gun" types way of thinking, and I'm sure most other do to. At the moment things are hot. Any good lawyer will tell you before a court case is don't say or do anything incriminating. Weather we see it that way or not, some will and do. I've had plenty of my wifes friends completely frown on the fact that I play this."Why would you play a game that simulates war and violence?" This is what I've heard in so many words twice. While the mainstream is paying attention maybe things that they wouldn't understand and never will could be avoided.

Disagree as you will, but the fact is the article touches on quotes made by a respectable retailer, and bent to come out negative.

If I had a solution to this problem we keep running into every 3 or 4 months, my thinking would be to have airsoft fall into having to have a PAL. If you screw up you could be charged criminally, and lose any ability to ever own another gun of any sort.

As far as "getting rid of stupid people, or irresponsilbe behavior with airsoft guns" Good luck!

I'm done here.

That's the government's job to inform people about the law. It's not our job to advertise on national tv to educate these retards.

Not knowing the law doesn't make you innocent.

In this case, it's common sense, you carry a gun around town, or you play cop and robber in your front yard, what can you really expect out of it?

You're completely out in left feild. The big problem isnt people playing airsoft in the streets, that rarely happens here. The big problem is the use of airsoft in crimes and airsoft being carried by criminals and "gangster" wannabes. That is what's sparked the comments from Victoria Police, and led to this article.

How the hell are we "too arrogant to see it" ? We see the problem, but there's nothing we can do about it. If someone is inclined to rob a bank with a replica, he is going to do so; If someone is stupid and wants to play on the street, he/she is going to do so. Proper gun education (safe handling,storage, etc...) is out of the question...

I suppose you know exactly what needs to be done? Yeah, ofcourse you do.. cause-what? You've been on the forums, and in the loop for 2 months (maybe less) now?

WTF are you even talking about? The solution is to ban crappy-tire-crap-soft, or atleast make it harder to get. But do you honestly think they're going to ban something that makes as much money as that? NO.

You DON'T know anything. If you knew anything , you'd know that there has already been action taken to prevent the ban...and I assure you, it wasn't run by some snotty little shat like yourself.

so can you shut the hell up already? Have you even held an airsoft gun before? Why are you wasting your time crying about it.. Go get into some pre-pubescent emo bitch's pants.

Agreed ... this is the issue... but also at issue is the police reluctance to charge people with offenses when the replicas are abused.

then the existing laws loose their bite.. and people start looking for other solutions , like outright bans.

Often the problem is that the police don't know the law.. and think that because it is not a "real gun" they can't do anything.

in the media piece quoted.. the police state that "it is not illegal to carry around a replica"

Which could not be farther from the truth.. Carrying a replica .. say in your waistband under your shirt. breaks 3 distinct sections of the Criminal code.

Concealed weapon, Improper transport, and weapons dangerous...
all of these offenses carry the potential for jail time. yet the police don't charge.. Why?

Is it because the judiciary won't convict? .. is it because the charges are easily defended? ... Is it actualy because the police don't know the law?

OH SNAP

Yeah. Definately because the police don't know the law...

Oh I see. Well than your right, nothing much you can do than. But how can you know nothing will work when you havnt tried? Or you have but gave up?

I haven't tried anything because I see no threat right now. You're new, you take these incidents, and view them as the apocalypse. This is the 15th(?) scare I've seen on these boards... Nothing has really happend, so I doubt anything will happen in a few months/weeks/days/whatever. Just relax, and try not to bother with things you can't handle.

Legal actions are best taken by someone more experienced, and over 18.

Ok so since there really is no problem like you say, than why are people complaining?

Thats what I dont get. But w/e, Im done with all this whining and b/s.

Guys, stop fighting like a bunch of whiny bitches and talk about this intelligently. Brian has brought up some very good points. Ignore asshat posts and get to the meat of the issue and offer some solutions, identify other problems, but stop slinging shit like a bunch of chimps, its getting tiring to read.