Picture/Comment in the Metro newspaper

CrazyRabbit · 24-04-2007 11:35am #1

Just seen a picture and comment in the 'Metro' newspaper that caught my attention. It's a picture of what appears to be hundreds of orange-tipped airsoft pistols being crushed by a steam-roller.

The text reads "In response to the deadly rampage at a US university last week, Chinese authorities crush gun replicas confiscated from smugglers during a ceremony in Shanghai."

Now I could be wrong, and perhaps they are not airsoft equipment but they certainly look like it.

I would have hoped that everyone would plainly see that there is absolutely no link between airsoft and that tradegy in the US.

Oh, I just found a pic online.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/photo/photo.asp?types=Metro&id=10095

Wossack · 24-04-2007 11:56am

lol, wonder how long it took them of lining up the first few rows before they said feckit, theres hundreds!

that website doesnt make any connection between it and virginia... is this just the newspaper finding the pic and spinning some bs? and if it is related... it doesnt really make any sense

must see if I can find the article

CrazyRabbit · 24-04-2007 12:07pm

Wossack wrote:

lol, wonder how long it took them of lining up the first few rows before they said feckit, theres hundreds!

that website doesnt make any connection between it and virginia... is this just the newspaper finding the pic and spinning some bs? and if it is related... it doesnt really make any sense

must see if I can find the article

I think you may be right about the paper putting a spin on this.

It's on page 12 of today's Metro paper (free Dublin paper if anyone is wondering)

Wossack · 24-04-2007 12:23pm

Heres a full article:

http://en.ce.cn/National/Politics/200704/21/t20070421_11113704.shtml

Interesting enough. Still a bit daft though... gist of the article seems to be 'that following the US tragedy we wont be relaxing our gun laws'..

Rew · 24-04-2007 1:58pm

I was in China recently. One guy called Cho a "hero" and his friends laughed. Im nearly 100% that i saw a guy with a box for an Airsoft AK (I was driving by at speed so couldn't confirm). If I had the time I was going to go to a shooting range where I could fire anything from a pistol to an RPG.

The Chinese are generally hypocrites in most things (can be said for most countries im sure). There is a very comerical and capitialistic focus in China on the ground and certainly not a communist one.

I also asked about the Army a bit and was promptly told to shut up/keep my voice down.

liamo333 · 24-04-2007 2:02pm

CrazyRabbit wrote:

Oh, I just found a pic online.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/photo/photo.asp?types=Metro&id=10095

I think I'm gonna cry:eek: :mad: . I heard about this in school today.

whupass · 24-04-2007 2:36pm

who was saying liamo? i know them?

CrazyRabbit · 24-04-2007 3:44pm

Just to reiterate...this is not a China-bashing thread, nor is it about gun crime.

It's just that the 'pistols' in the pictures look very much like airsoft replica's and not the real steel. I just found this to be very odd....destroying airsoft equipment in response to an incident in the US where real firearms where used.

Rew · 24-04-2007 3:50pm

In a country that big 30,000 replicas getting steem rollered isn't even a drop in the water so its all a PR exercise.

Dave! · 24-04-2007 3:56pm

What a waste! That's nearly as many guns as SCOPE has!

extremetaz · 24-04-2007 3:58pm

i think the point of the excercise was that they were destroying confiscated and illegal replica's - it wasn't a stab at the legitimate collecting or sporting community, it was a stab at illegal importing of such commodities.

CrazyRabbit · 24-04-2007 4:01pm

DaveMcG wrote:

What a waste! That's nearly as many guns as SCOPE has!

Or N.O.I.P if he doesn't stop buying new ones soon.

Rew · 24-04-2007 4:04pm

extremetaz wrote:

i think the point of the excercise was that they were destroying confiscated and illegal replica's - it wasn't a stab at the legitimate collecting or sporting community, it was a stab at illegal importing of such commodities.

Doubt it considering they openly sell most of this gear on the steets, its a pure PR stunt. 30,000 over the last few years is nothing more then a tiny token amount.

Evolute · 24-04-2007 4:42pm

them doing that is a bit pointless because how many airsoft guns do they make a day and what does it cost to make em it would probably cost near on the same to smuggle them into china. Its not neccesarily a PR move its just they wanna send a message to smugglers saying we dont want you smuggling into our country and this si what will happen to your goods if your caught

liamo333 · 24-04-2007 4:47pm

whupass wrote:

who was saying liamo? i know them?

Nah you dont know them.

whufee · 25-04-2007 9:36pm

airsoft is totally banned in CHINA[excluded: TW,HK] by law! they call them as replica 'weapon'. most of airsoft website and retailers are blocked by Chinese government[website] even forum.....
there are only for export...most of manufacturers can make real weapons. such as 'double elephant'[brand name]
a friend told me a VFC HK416 can be sold in part of china at 800-1000 dollars.....
because people who come from mainland china can not go to hongkong or taiwan directly, so most of airsoft businesses in mainland china are not existed, thats why AEG can sell at that price, people call them[AEG] toy models rather than guns or rifles. so we are just lucky !!!

Harekin · 26-04-2007 11:16am

Actually look up the law again. It is not banned inChina, thats a common misconception.

whufee · 26-04-2007 11:23am

Harekin wrote:

Actually look up the law again. It is not banned inChina, thats a common misconception.

no.no.no, my friend, i am a chinese, and my mum works in law dep. in china

Harekin · 26-04-2007 11:32am

http://www.import-action.com/airsoft.html

Its the same info used on loads of sites.

Picture/Comment in the Metro newspaper

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