Airsoft Canada - Yet Another Peice of Negative Airsoft Media

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Yet Another Peice of Negative Airsoft Media

http://www.union-bulletin.com/articl...ws/local02.txt

Quote:

Toy guns lead to A very close Call
Toy guns that resemble the real thing were at the heart of a tense encounter April 1.
By Sheila Hagar of the Union-Bulletin

``My main concern is, it's an accident waiting to happen.''

Nathaniel Vickers, right, holds a toy gun police mistook as a real weapon in an April 1 incident. The guns came from the home of Tony Kujawski, left, who was not involved in the encounter. Local law enforcement officials say playing with the guns in city limits is illegal. U-B photo by Jeff Horner
Linda Coronado

her son Tony was among three people detained by police while playing with toy guns.

It could have been taken from a cop reality show. Three males were on their knees with wavering hands held high in the air. A young man gave a frightened sob as flashlight beams sliced through the dark.

Behind the kneeling figures, a neatly manicured lawn in front of a family-sized porch added a touch of the surreal.

In fact, nothing was quite what it seemed at first glance.

On April 1, Walla Walla police officers responded to what a caller told them looked like an armed robbery of a neighborhood convenience store. When they arrived at about 10 p.m., it looked like the caller suspected - three figures were in the street, running, ducking behind trees, darting into car ports. All had hoods tied close around their faces and wore glasses or goggles.

All were carrying pistols in their hands.

At least, that's what officers assumed from what they saw.

It turned out the only lethal weapons that night were in the hands of law enforcement. The three men became one adult and two youths, ages 12 and 14.

And the armed robbery was actually a form of tag one night during Walla Walla's recent spring break.

The game was meant to chase away cabin fever, said Nathaniel Vickers, a Union-Bulletin employee.

Vickers, 43, was spending time with the two neighbor boys while his daughters were at a church youth dance, he said. Boredom had set in until he suggested going outside with the ``soft air'' guns belonging to one of the boys.

These air guns are increasingly popular for target practice and recreation, police say. The toy weapons shoot brightly colored and almost weightless plastic BBs, and are lumped in the same category as paint ball and pellet-style guns. By law, soft air guns must have red or orange tips.

``I made sure everyone had goggles or glasses on, because you don't want to get one of those plastic pellets in your eyes,'' Vickers said. He also advised the boys to snug their sweatshirt hoods down tight, to keep the eyewear in place and to protect their ears and skin.

He was under the impression toy gun play is legal, he said. ``I've seen so many kids under the age of 18 with them.''

It was when he laughingly shouted for the boys to stop - he'd dropped his ammunition - that Vickers slowed down long enough to notice the trio was no longer alone on Park Street. ``The next thing I knew, we were surrounded by the police and they told us to drop our weapons.''

It seemed to Vickers at the time as if he and the boys had assault weapons pointed at their heads, he recalled.

All three responded promptly, eager to demonstrate the guns were fake. ``I held it out like this,'' Vickers said, extending clasped fingers far from his body. ``I said, `Sir, it's a toy weapon.'''

Nonetheless, all were kept on their knees and searched while police kept their guns at ``low ready.''

``They were detained with weapons drawn,'' agreed Sgt. Michael Ralston of the Walla Walla Police Department. He noted it was two officers on the scene, while two others stayed in the distance. The weapons were the .40-caliber Glock handguns Walla Walla officers routinely carry.

The officers responded completely appropriately given the information they received of a potentially dangerous situation, Ralston said. The air guns were on the street in plain view at 10 p.m. next to the Alder Street Apex Food and Deli convenience store.

The tag players got the message, Vickers said. ``The police were determined to explain it was a serious situation.''

He added he didn't like the way the officers spoke to them. Nonetheless, his embarrassment at being on his knees in his neighborhood as a result of playing with a toy gun equaled his momentary anger, Vickers remembered.

The mother of one of the boys liked her son's involvement even less. Linda Coronado was asleep on her couch 20 feet from where her 12-year-old son, Tony Manns, was being searched. ``When they came in and told me, I thought it was an April Fools,'' she said.

It was Tony's 14-year-old friend Michael who brought the guns over, she said. Coronado is opposed to toy guns, and even keeps her son's cap pistol out of sight. ``My main concern is, it's an accident waiting to happen.''

Although no one was cited by police over the incident, her family is still affected by it. Tony, a sixth-grader at Pioneer Middle School, barely left the house for days following the scare and is undergoing counseling, his mom said. In the meantime, Coronado hopes to get the story out to other parents.

Tony, at 5-foot-9, and 179 pounds, was initially mistaken for an adult. ``If he had panicked and made a false move, he could be dead,'' Coronado believes. ``A child being exposed to that kind of violence could freak out.''

Airsoft brand and other toy guns are manufactured to look ``more and more like real guns. This is teaching kids how to load guns,'' she said, referring to the slip-in magazines. ``All it takes is a phone call to summon the police when a toy gun is being used.''

She concedes she is unhappy the guns are sold just across the street at Apex, although Michael's guns did not come from that business.

Apex owner Young Cho carries the Double Eagle M47B soft air shotgun, keeping it on a high shelf behind the register. While it weighs a mere three pounds, it sports a scope and a sleek, black body; the mandatory red tip is but a fraction of the body of the toy.

Cho, who has owned the store about 18 months, said he will not allow his children to play with soft air guns. But his business, which caters to neighborhood children and those at the nearby YMCA, has sold several. Buyers are asked for identification to ensure the 18-or-older requirement is upheld, he said.

Coronado said she has seen Apex employees demonstrating the gun to kids in the parking lot. As a mother and a nearby resident, she finds it disturbing. ``It's not a crime for an employee to take the guns out to the parking lot, but the franchise should know what the employee is doing.''

Written into Title 9 of the City of Walla Walla municipal code are several subsections regarding ``public peace, morals and welfare.'' Within those, clause 9.15 discusses firearms, missiles and air guns: discharging any type of air gun is prohibited anywhere at any time in Walla Walla, it states.

Which is fine with Coronado. Tony, who makes good grades and plays AAU basketball, has pestered his mother to buy a toy gun for him, he said.

She was reluctant prior to the April 1 incident, and she is more vehement now. ``I don't want Tony even playing with a gun...any kind of gun,'' Coronado responded.

She had already warned her son about potential dangers, telling him something could happen at any time with kids playing with the look-alike pistols.

``I knew her words would come true,'' Tony chimed in. ``They always do.''

stupid assholes and some are adults. what the hell...

Walla-Walla Washington

EDIT* What I mean to say with that comment is that it is news from the states and could have occured with any toy gun on the market, not just airsoft. Heck, I have a cap-gun in my basement that looks like a .38 special.

Wait... where is this from?

Where is Walla Walla?

EDIT - Never mind. No biggy.

''barely left the house for days following the scare and is
undergoing counseling, his mom said. In the meantime, Coronado hopes to get the story out to other parents.''

She's gone apeshit!!! Counselling for playing with toy guns! Oh my god are we all MAD!

Soccer mom's...

I have no comments on the action of law enforcement, their reaction was justified... And that store owner need to keep an eye on his employees.

Oh well, maybe if that adult would have been more responsible and kept to their backyard instead...

This article has zero effect on anything having to do with us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSM RecceGod

I think he's getting counselling because he is a child who was searched at gunpoint in the dark by police. Strangely enought I could imagine how that might be traumatic. Hopefully he pissed himself and won't do anything so stupid again.

I am dissappointed the police did not charge the 43 year old moron.

LD

People are just idiots.

And then you get the pissed soccer mom behind it all, just because the people are so stupid to do that, she is attacking the thing they MISUSED and MISTREATED like a bunch of four year olds.

That always happens.

It's like saying.... Lets see.... Some people are camping, soccer mom is sitting on a chair reading. Son asks hey mom can I play with these matches?!?!?!? Yeah whatever I want to read my book on how tom and katie had a baby weeeee. Then omg! What?! OH NOES!! The son lights the forest on fire, then the firemen come, a huge operation costing tons o cash to put this fire out, then in the end the mother freaks out at the match company, because it put her sons life in danger and almost got them killed.

I know its a far off analogy but almost the same point.

I hate all events like this, because they are in no way reflective of the REAL airsoft community, I think it's time people like that see the way we handle minors, and people that pull stupid crap like this. Like cmon. Take responsibility for your own actions. Dont go trying to ruin others' lives because you or your husband or whoever was stupid enough to go play with realistic looking pistols with kids because you had 'cabin fever'...

Is it just me or did the excuse sound completely stupid?

I dont know I'm in a ranting mood today, things like this piss me straight off.

In, the picture it shows a clearsoft gun am I right?
stupid over protective mother. "Soccer Mom"

Quote:

Originally Posted by soccer mom

This is teaching kids how to load guns, she said, referring to the slip-in magazines.

Or letting the kids watch any war movie, or play any video game. GET A GRIP LADY.

And yes they are those stupid soft air guns from crappy tire.
(thats what i assumed they were, but clicking the link obviously shows that)
I say get the damn things out of there, just bad bad bad bad bad stuff coming from them.

I think the real beef should be with Canadian tire itself. And the stupid adults buying these for thier children, thats where the action needs to be taken, not at the product itself. It's just like real guns, its the people, not the guns themselves.

Word of the day: (words in this case) Freakin Idiots!

The 43 year old moron who decided to play tag at 10pm at night with toy guns in a city should have his head examined and was lucky it wasn't examined by a .40 bullet. Had the officers killed him I would have had more sympathy for the officer who pulled the trigger than the dead tard. Darwinism by cop.

Some people just don't have the good sense god gave a carrot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gish

This article has zero effect on anything having to do with us.

Bad Press is Still Bad press weather it is comming from the states or not. With Airsoft in canada still falling through a loop-hole in the law, we don't want it becoming restriced. So, yes, this does in fact affect us.

My 2 Cents

I think cops should blow them away, then be given medals and a raise for "serving and protecting" the gene pool from idiocy.

Did anyone else notice how this 'news' was writen like poetry or a piece of fiction? Maybe it's just me...

Anyway, it's just more stupid people not knowing the rules... they should have read a FAQ or two :-D

People should just be educated.

These people aren't retarded, just mis-guided.

What's too bad too is that they're probably NOT the kind of people who are going to go around shooting random people, or threatening people. They just wanted to go play, and made a REALLY bad judgement call.

I don't know if they need to die for it.
If it's made clear what happens if you go play in the street, decked out in hoodies & soforth, fewer people are going to do it. Maybe they'd even knock on some doors and say "we're gonna go play now"...

Sure, it should be a logical thing to think of BEFORE you go do it, but seriously, if we're being realistic, at some point we're all going to have to admit: There's ALOT of really daft people out there.

You can't stop stupid people, there's too many, but there's a lot of simple things to do to help streamline their pathway through life (and indirectly make your own easier)...

As for "these are teaching children how to load guns"... :roll:

Whatever, bitch. If your kids are so impressionable, why the hell aren't you impressing a GOOD EXAMPLE onto them?

Haha, that's just a couple mins away.

Bored/overexcited LE mixed with dumbasses never seems to work.

There's actually a solid and safe group of Walla Walla airsofters that I've had the pleasure of gaming with...sucks these are the guys that make the news.

From my understanding this incident happened in canada. Note I DO NOT know where Walla-Walla is. I am just assuming.

At least they took some safety precautions like goggles. I think the kid's mom is wrong not letting him go near guns ever again. I mean if they are used properly and safely (for recreation) they pose no real threat.

Walla-Walla is in the US, Washington state.

Yeah, it's WA state.

Quote:

Agreed doesnt matter where it happens, with time and more accidents the loop-hole will be broken and airsoft in canada will change forever.

Anyone else find it funny that the guy responsible for this works for the newspaper that reported it? Like it's reporting the stupidity of one of its employees.

those have got to be the most braindead people ever, especilly the 43 year old moron. I can understand the kids doing something so stupid but not the old guy. thank god the cops didnt shoot now talk later. I also agree that regardless of the country bad press is just bad press.

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm not really seeing why this is so bad? The kids learned a lesson hopefully, so did the tool of a parent who should've been charged, and the mom is behaving just like a mom?

This article seemed a lot less biased than most ones I've read...so yeah.

There is a reason why airsoft is for 18+!!! those stupid noobs.....

I found this on Google video. Just another one of those things that will make Airsoft illegal one day...

Airsoft Driveby

Those idiots aren't even wearing eye protection!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMSteyrAug

I would tend to agree but you will note that it's a 40 someodd year old who proposed that the kids play. You think little boys would say no?

I do find it is somewhat fishy. May of been staged/put on/invoked by the actual press for a story against it since they probably are not going to get a word out of airsofters, nor have a bad account to make any news off of since the real airsofters actually follow the laws set out by thier country.

It's just idiots like this that decide to screw around with something they have no real respect for or knowledge of, tend to screw it up for everyone.

It's like they come across a nuclear bomb, ooo shiny, lets play with it! Kaboom. Reason it went kaboom? Well first off they are stupid to play with something they know may result in a bad kaboom. Plus they had no knowledge about ANY of it, nor the 'rules' when handling a nuclear bomb.

Yay for analogies making people look more stupid than they already seem.

Sad thing is, pretty much all 'press' related to airsoft is all bad. Minus the one thing I saw on TV from my beloved Kiwis.

Hopefully this summer deems good for me starting up a nice 'documentary' type film. For the betterment of our hobby. But thats something I'll leave for later ;)

http://www.union-bulletin.com/conten...ws/local02.jpg

Finger off the trigger.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMSteyrAug

Take a look at the bullshit they wrote on the side. 'no laws broken' 'done on a private field' ....

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvroAero

http://www.union-bulletin.com/conten...ws/local02.jpg

Finger off the trigger

LMAO is that a crosman?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SockMonkey

I think cops should blow them away, then be given medals and a raise for "serving and protecting" the gene pool from idiocy.

:grin:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SockMonkey

I think cops should blow them away, then be given medals and a raise for "serving and protecting" the gene pool from idiocy.

If you really believe that your a complete idiot. Sorry, but you are.

Call me whatever you wish but I don't really see an adult playing a game with a couple of minors as warranting him being shot in the head. While it may not have been the brightest idea the same thing could have happened if they were playing with squirt guns ... it was dark and people have a strong tendancy to over react. If I may be so bold to say, it seems that it is now politically correct to over react ... over, well ... everything. Everything is offensive, everything is dangerous etc:

What happened to the yesteryears when you could go out and have harmless fun. When I was a kid we all had somewhat realistic looking toy guns and ran around the neighborhood at night stalking one another and not once did any police show up. What happened to the days where kids were permitted to be kids? It's like most everyone here expects youngsters to be mature and responsible all the time. That's not what being a kid is about, or at least it never used to be. I find that to be the only real crime here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freedom Fighter

What happened to the yesteryears when you could go out and have harmless fun. When I was a kid we all had somewhat realistic looking toy guns and ran around the neighborhood at night stalking one another and not once did any police show up. What happened to the days where kids were permitted to be kids? It's like most everyone here expects youngsters to be mature and responsible all the time. That's not what being a kid is about, or at least it never used to be. I find that to be the only real crime here.

Gone with the cowboys and replaced with the constant threat of terror... I swear america loves being in a state of fear and unfortunately the affect us with it.

I wont call you anything for your opinion i guess this is where we differ champ. I think that any one running around at night with realistic or even semi realistic guns is a fucktard that deserves what ever end they get. My point is the cop who sees a "weapon" shoots first asks questions later should be treated as the hero they are.

So the idiot comment you can stick up your ass, but I do some what see where your coming from. This isnt 15-20 years ago when me and my friends used to rock the Entertech squirt guns around the naborhood and public park... This is a time when 2 kids can walk into a school with a small arsinal and kill and wound 30+ people. Kids, at 9 years old who should be playing tag shoot thier classmate....So... kids arent just kids anymore.

Quote:

This is a time when 2 kids can walk into a school with a small arsinal and kill and wound 30+ people.

I'd like to know exactly why that can and does happen these days.

Is it just me, or does the rising occurrance of these things seem to be linked to the rising number of soccer moms?

Maybe if booboobababoo is allowed to have some form of contact with a non-sterile environment he would be better off?

I spent my childhood playing with toy guns on the street day and night. Not once did i get talked to by the cops or see them. You know why because people around knew we were playing with toys. Todays youth is tainted however. They are growing up at a scary rate and getting int things they shouldnt at there age.

It's that durned rap music!

Seriously though... it wouldn't suprise me at all if that was part of it. I mean just look at that unknownwsdm (or whatever they call it) forum. :smack:

The only time I saw the cops while playing with guns is when my buddy and I called them because we heard real gun shots.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowabunga The Destroyer

It's that durned rap music!

Now I wasn't one to buy into the whole Metal music makes your kid a satanist, especially since I love that music ... however ... todays entire rap scene IMO seems focused on a bunch of people fronting about how f-in bad they are. We shoot gats or what-the-fuck-ever (blah blah blah!), sling crack in the hood, pimp smack bitches ... fuck off with your fucking nonesense you fucking halfwits.

It's sad and you see a lot of young people today dressing and acting like they are living in some hardcore rap video. Those are the kids that need a good beating by mom and dad.

I have come up with the idea for a show. It involves a professional boxer and a bunch of wannabe thugs. We shall call the show not thug enough. The ultimate goal is to beat up the boxer and prove your thug enough. If you manage to get to ultimate thugdom we launch the contestant into the sun along with the losers. Its a sort of cleansing thing. Then i shall kill a clown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowabunga The Destroyer

It's that durned rap music!

Seriously though... it wouldn't suprise me at all if that was part of it. I mean just look at that unknownwsdm (or whatever they call it) forum. :smack:

Honestly, whats with the hate againts rap? Look at emo music; it can be suicidal and always being depressed. But have you ever heard a case where a suicide was blamed due to emo music?
But whatever, they are kids (even the adult, at heart atleast :???: ), and I remember when I was a kid, I ran around with a .45 cap gun and rifles and stuff. and there were like 20 of us. IMO, can't blame them for playing with toy guns (maybe the adult though =P)

And the mom is just over-over-reacting. i feel bad for the kid, i wonder if he is even allowed to watch Small Soldiers :salute:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freedom Fighter

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowabunga The Destroyer

It's that durned rap music!

And a good shit kicking would be fair.

So I pose a question:
- if those ones deserve a good beating, why do the naive but relatively harmless ones deserve to be shot by the cops?

On that note, I agree with you FF, and reiterate my initial stance.

Sockmonkey, you might not be an idiot, but it's a pretty stupid thing to say.

If you hadn't made it clear twice, I'd liken it to when someone cuts me off on the highway and I say "I hope you get hit by a truck". I don't actually desperately want them to get hit by a truck, it's just vented frustration.

But... you're basically saying that you genuinely want these people to die, like it would make you happy.

That's a little fucked up, and a tad scary.

Heres some random GOOD airtsoft news I stumbled on to counter-act the bad news that gets posted here all the time.

http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.d...0324/1028/LIFE

I recall wayyy back in the good-ol' days....

I had a tiny plastic AK that made a clicking sound, and I do recall waving to a cop car while i was holding it in my other hand. He just waved back. No harm done..

I also had a cap gun. it had a plastic red cover that was really pissing me off, so I ripped it off and spray painted it black. I went out on the street and just started ripping away at the caps I had bought with my allowance money, and again, no harm done.

We now live in a society of fear, when if you bring anything that resembles a gun into public property, lil' old bitch next door will call the SWAT team down on you.

Observers bad for being a dumbshit or just being blind, their bad for doing it in the dark.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prowler

Heres some random GOOD airtsoft news I stumbled on to counter-act the bad news that gets posted here all the time.

http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.d...0324/1028/LIFE

Finally, something good about this sport. Good find.

Quote:

This is teaching kids how to load guns,'' she said

Playing with Crapsman Crap-Air guns is NOT going to teach you how to reload a gun. Games like CS and BF2 do (my two favourite games). IIRC, Crap-Air guns don't even have moving charging handles. Pretty much playing any game with guns in it or watching any TV show with guns in it will teach you how to load a REAL gun better than any Crap-Air gun (loading sequences are different anyways)

Kids get a real gun and try putting bullets into the sights, and tilting the gun upside down and shaking it to reload :D (<--crosman/"Crapsman")

Anyway, this show us the importance of a good education. A good education help make a good judgement call. Maybe the old man only have is 7th grade.

And tell me how much person didn't do something stupid in 7th grade.