Airsoft to be discussed on Newstalk 106-108 on Wed 10pm-12midnight -- EMAIL THEM!!!

Taken from wikipedia

While it is often stated that "BB" stands for "ball bearing", this is not the case. The original BB guns used the BB sized lead shotgun shot, midway between B and BBB size. BB shot was nominally 0.180 inches (4.57 mm), but tended to vary considerably in size due to the high allowable tolerances for shotgun shell use. Around 1900, Daisy, one of the earliest makers of BB guns, changed their BB gun bore diameter to .175 inches (4.45 mm), and began to market precision made lead shot specifically for their BB guns. They called this "air rifle shot", but the "BB" name was already well established, and everyone continued calling the guns "BB guns" and the shot "BB shot" or just "BBs".

Actually, read the whole article about bb guns on wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BB_gun

BB guns, pellet guns etc relate to airguns. It does not stand for ball bearing. I know these terms are thrown around loosely in relation to some airsoft products. Especially springers. I know airsoft guns fire "bbs".
Using this term however just ends up blurring the lines. Which we REALLY don't need.

I was showing my cousin my airsoft equipment and he stated that he new someone with a similar "pellet gun". One which you had to break each time and it fired lead pellets. See the confusion?

Just call it airsoft. Simple as that. Don't accept people calling it anything else. Ample Free used the term "bb gun" in his email as that was the terminology being used in the article he was replying to. I'm sure he wouldn't use it when discussing airsoft in general.

They misquoted my comments from the email I sent. You would think that by sending an email that there would be no possibility of this!!

I've never encountered such a one-sided and ignorant radio show before. They should be taken off the air.

o1s1n wrote:

I think an invite to a skirmish needs to be send out to him

You mean so we can have another firing squad?

Seriously though....might be a good idea. Invite a reportor from one of the papers. I'd gladly chip in a few quid to pay for his/her rental fees etc. Might want to get this NGB setup 1st.

DaveMcG wrote:

I still think we'd be better off contacting some sports magazines or somethin. The papers would be more inclined to misrepresent the sport.

I fully agree. Although is there a well-read generic sports magazine with wide readership in Ireland?

Am I the only one who thinks it would be a really bad Idea to bring a journalist to a game right now. Would it not be a good idea to wait until HRTA (assuming that venue was used) is finished and the safe zone has been properly sorted.

Its a journalists job to sell papers and right now the easiest story to write and the one that will sell the most papers is the one that paints airsoft in a bad light. One bad incident involving Airsoft making it to the national media and thats it for the sport, the Newstalk/Carlow Nationalist thing doesn't seem to have done any harm at the moment but that was dumb luck.

Unless steps are taken to protect the sport now we may find ourselves in the situation of not being able to play in the south, not being able to buy new equipment and worse still losing the equipment we already have. Are you sure you want to take that risk?

hi guys, just catching up on this thread now - i sent the following to the carlow nationalist early last week.

it's a little more direct that previous posts i'm afraid - but then i think the least one can expect from a person is that they do their job properly so...

************

To whom it concerns,

On the 28th of February your publication included a report written by Mairead
Wilmot stating that:

- Bebe and Airsoft toys are illegal.
- they are potentially lethal.

Both of these points are entirely incorrect and indeed the only way in which an
airsoft toy could prove lethal would be if you choked on a pellet...

Referring to the first point though - airsoft toys are indeed legal in this
country provided the muzzel energy of the projectile does not exceed 1J
(joule).
This is the case since an amendment to the "Criminal Justice Bill 2004" (Section
5-35-b) which outlines the definition of a firearm and excludes airguns with a
muzzle energy of less then 1J.

Furthermore, there is currently a CQB (Close Quarters Battle) airsoft site in
operation in Co.Dublin which is fully recognised and fully insured.

With regard to the toys on sale in many local shops;
In order to obtain a unit capable of producing anywhere near 1J muzzel energy
you would need to spend in excess of €200! so i can't see these getting into
the hands of young children too readily.

I personally am a frequent airsofter and have been shot from close range by such
units hundreds of times (including hits to the head, neck and face) and the
worst injury i have ever received is a very minor cut. (I would at this stage
like to point out for reference sake that paintball guns have a muzzle energy
in excess of 12J!!)

The types on sale in newagents all around the country - the "bebe" guns -
scarcely have enough projectile energy to pass through a paper plate, much less
cause any serious harm to anyone.

Finally, whilst i do not agree with newsagents selling such toys to children,
this sort of unfounded, unresearched, sensationalist reporting is becoming more
and more typical of Irish journalism and does nobody any good.

There is a growing population of responsible, mature airsofters in his country
who are more than happy to provide any information requested about the sport to
anybody who is interested and I see no need to tarnish what is a social,
energetic and team building exercise by broadcasting the unfounded and
prejudiced opinions of what is obviously an entirely uninformed individual, to
the masses.

I would expect that these points will be brought to the attention of Ms. Wilmot
as soon as possible and I would hope that she would learn the value of getting
her facts straight before making both herself and your publication look
completely amateur again.

Regards,
....

************

a few of the others off ASI sent in emails as well - nobody has received a reply to date.

Guys. the main issue with the scaremongers and Airsoft is political. Its not airsoft itself, and infact, I doubt very much that most of these Helen Lovejoys really are all that much about the sport. But their need to be seen to be active and defending the safety of everyone (whether they like it or not) is what is being served by this kind of carry on.

In other words, the desperate need to wear the "good guy badge" is what drives these people to deride us at every opportunity.

Its always the same. Video games, rock music, rap music, television, movies, comic books and role playing games ... everyone of these things has been vilified and condemned for corrupting the youth and inciting violence in the public. Every one of these claims has been erroneous and unsubstantiated but the Helen Lovejoys will stand by them regardless.

The only solution is to speak louder and speak clearer than they do.

Irish Trinity wrote:

great speech ** claps** but what are Helen Lovejoy's:p?

Helen Lovejoy is the wife of Reverend Lovejoy of Springfield Parish in The Simpsons. she is a typical waspish busy body whose war cry is "Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children!!!!"

Master of Simpsons trivia

I agree that these stores shouldnt be doing what they are doing but as far as the concerned parent thing goes I was actually talking about the coppers rather than parents who are going to worry regardless.

Coppers are aware and if they arent then they arent doing their jobs properly. If they do know, and they are STILL moaning, then its politics.

it might look like a lot of "if's" but lets face it, our national police force havent the best record regarding civil liberties or even "doing" their job.