Airsoft and children

Bemused

Hi guys,

I am just getting into airsoft and had my first experience of a skirmish on the 29th just passed in GTAC (urban). It was great fun and following on from that I have purchased an AEG and pistol. My wife has expressed reservations about my children even seeing these guns which has given me pause. I know many of the toy guns that kids can buy look very realistic but (to my knowledge) do not fire projectiles. Those that do are obviously toys (e.g. star wars blaster) and fire foam "bullets".

I'll admit to a certain fascination with the guns themselves - there is a "cool" factor, especially since I have never really held a real firearm (nor do I want to). It's one of the things that would attract me to airsoft over paintball and in a way I think of it as the "grown-ups" equivalent of the toy guns we played with as kids.

My wife is not comfortable with this at all - I don't want to put words in her mouth but I think she is concerned with the idea that this will glorify guns in their eyes.

Gone from feeling excited about this to a little uncertain.

What do ye reckon?

Leftyflip

Hi Bemused,
many people would understand your wife's concern about them. I have a few airsoft devices myself and a younger sister around, she see's them most of the time and isn't influenced or affected by them at all, they're just toys to her. I wouldn't say that airsoft glorifies guns, certainly not as much as todays media and video games do. If you want to protect your children, keep them in cases and out of sight. No harm will come from them at all. Other people will say different, but after all, airsoft guns are just toys.

I don't think you should feel uncertain at all, I know a lot of other airsofters with young children around the house and they just keep them out of sight. A lot of airsoft is about being sensible with the equipment (i.e, keeping it out of sight from the public and only using it at proper airsoft sites).
Ger.

tonyj_mc

as lefty has put it trally depends, whenever my nephews (6 & 8) stay over they get locked in a wardrobe, then one time they where over they found two helmets and thought this was the best thing ever. The folks asked if the kids have a look at the guns, they both did and then they completly forgot about and haven't asked since.

but i supose everyone is diffrent, just use your head with the head, don't leave around loaded and make sure the batt is disconnected at all time and the worse that will happen is they have an expensive heavy bat

Shiva

My wife had pretty much the same concerns about our kids when I first brought them into the house. We have three kids...two 7 year olds, a boy and a girl, and a 2 year old boy.

The 7 year old girl turns her nose up at them, and the boy is a gun-nut. But he was a gun-nut before he even knew airsoft guns existed. I think it all comes down to the fact that male children seem to be programmed to think that toy guns are part of the natural order of things, and I think they're programmed by modern media and marketing.

The two year old picked up a piece of wood, pointed it at me, and said "bang" long before he ever saw an airsoft gun. And just to point out - I don't go showing him airsoft guns - he came across one accidentally, and knew immediately that it was something that you point at people and go "bang" with. Most likely he'd seen his brother do it with his plastic toys.

My personal opinion is that whether kids see or feel an airsoft gun ever in their lives, 99% of male kids will already see guns as "cool". Modern society had already glorified guns long before airsoft ever arrived in Ireland, and probably everywhere else in the world. On the other hand, their sister thinks they're lame, and couldnt care less about them, because she's been programmed to play with different toys.

Your wife's concerns are valid though, so perhaps a compromise can be reached where you make sure the kids aren't exposed to them.

EDIT: Just re-read that and it sounds sexist - I realise there are many female airsofters out there, and I dont mean to imply they're tomboys, or different, or anything like that. I just believe that boys are more likely to play with guns than girls because of peer pressure, marketing, and TV/movies.

Markom5a

My ms was the exact same when I got my first springer at the tender age of 14 up until then I was totally facinated with all things military and regularly performed combat manouveres in the garden with my hurl.

However now after recently purchasing my first aeg she still is pessimistic. I Continually point out that if I use my rifs for the purpose they were made for( plinking skirmishing) there is nothing wrong ( as long as it's done safley of course)

Having bought my first springer unbeknownst to my parents however I wish now that my father had perhaps explained all that goes with guns real or imitation.

To sum up I think airsoft is not something that should be hidden or stigmatized but should be openly disscussed giving small pieces of information as they grow

This is just my opinion however

(After reveiwing that it sounds like im on about sex!)

Markom5a

Sorry typo ms should be ma I ain't old enough to be settled down yet!

deco nate

and if you think your kids are old enough,why not teach them gun safty?my dad took me out as a kid and drilled it into me started with an air rifle,then shotgun,then .22 ,rifle,didnt like killin rabbits and the like,he thought i was a bad shot,i wasnt just hated killin anything,any if you do teach them how to treat them,like everyone has said,keep them locked up,no matter how much you tell kids not to touch something,as soon as your back is turned they will go for it,or maybe keep the airsoft stuff at a mates house?

swiftblade

I had the exact same problem with my mum when i started airsoft. Alot of my relitives and even family members still think its a touchy subject. Some will even still tell me its illegal. Every time its brought up a heated debate gets started :rolleyes: My mum left me to my first skirmish and after seeing the amount of other people that played her thoughts changed. No longer was it this strange lupole in the law that allowed me to have "guns" . She now sees it as a hobby or social gathering. What im trying to say is it needs to be explained and well, that this is a HOBBY or SPORT and nothing else.

Damo 2k9

My ma wouldnt let me get an airsoft gun at first :rolleyes:
So when she went to america i convinced the oul lad to get me one, she went mad when she came home none the less, but then as i kept going on about it she kept on asking questions about safety and all that shiz she was then not as weary of me playing it.
She wont let me bring it out on the road, and rightly so (not that i would bring it out on the road) and always tells me to keep it in me room, brings me to the skirmish site and no hurt feelings
Lots of people have a biased opinion of airsoft, until you explain it to them, and some still do after you explain it to them :rolleyes:
But once you explain it properly to somebody thats not an absolute wank3r that hates everything that he or she doesnt know about, then your sorted

Gray

Both me & my boy play regularly & have our own guns which the mrs's is still dubious about having in the house, she would have no problem with us renting though when we play. I think it's a mother thing of being protective.

As for glorifying guns I think it dose so less than the video games my boy plays so much after he made the following comment

"I don't think I would want to be a soldier after playing Airsoft cos you realise how easy it is to get shot"

As others have said make sure you keep them locked away & explain them to your kids in a way appropriate to their age/temperament

Anyway have fun & don't let the arsenal get to big or the mrs will have a fit

extremetaz

Bemused wrote: »

Hi guys,

...

What do ye reckon?

It's a common concern although not a particularly legitimate one.

It's a fear of the unknown is all.

Speaking as someone who grew up in a house with guns, and in a community where every house had at least one gun (yes in Ireland);

despite this (?), I have grown to adulthood, without incident, perfectly well able to use and handle any gun safely and to appreciate what the business end can do.

I do not presently own a gun and I do not have any plans to purchase my own.


The bottom line is that education is never a bad thing.

I'm not saying "send your kids directly to the firing range, do not pass go, do not collect €200", I'm also not suggesting direct exposure to firearms is good, I am merely postulating that sheltering them from such things serves no one, it only serves to promote ignorance and fear.

...which, by point of note, is precisely why this situation arose in the first place.

Knowledge harms nobody.

Inari

Everyone has posted on the social issue, I'm going to post on the safety issue. To put yours, and your wife's mind at ease, there are a few things you can do (and for your devices' well being should do):

- When not in use, remove the magazine and have it void of BBs (and gas, if it's gas powered). It keeps the springs and seals in better condition, as well as removing the projectile from the airsoft device

- In the case of your AEG, when not in use, remove the battery...this way it cannot be fired and is just a realistic looking toy.

- Put the devices away in a safe place. It avoids accidental incident, and keeps your house tidy.

Hivemind187

Did anyone notice that in the 80's and early 90's the issue of replica toy guns was not an issue at all? Damn near every boy (and apparently a lot of girls too) had a toy Kalashnikov or M16 or UZI. How many of you over the age of 21 didnt have a pistol, a cap gun or a suction dart gun?

I hate to say it but it is simply the liberal hysteria generated by the anti-gun lobby that permeates our culture that is making people frightened of nothing. I've said it again and again but ignorance imbues objects with properties they do not have.

The idea that toys "glorify" violence is also utter rubbish and scapegoats an inanimate object for no better reason than the vast majority of planet earth are unwilling (or possibly unable) to think. There was violence before airsoft (before cap guns and bb guns too), in fact there was violence before firearms at all. What are parents trying to achieve by doing this? If children dont play with toys it means that they wont ever suffer at all in their lives from anything ever?

The truth is that we can't "un-invent" guns or airsoft - they exist. Instead of pretending that they arent there the logical approach is to find a way to live with them.

OzCam

Dear Bemused.

What you tell your children will of course depend on their ages, but please ask your wife to check out www.irishairsoft.ie and email us at info@irishairsoft.ie with any questions she may have.

You may also like to know that all IAA affiliated sites will have implemented the Code of Conduct And Good Practice for Children's Sport by the end of this year.

FWIW, my niece, who's 11, was very curious about my AUG and insisted on having a look at it (over her mother's caution) when I dropped in on the way home from a skirmish a while ago. She's showed absolutely no interest since , it's all about Taylor Swift these days. Once you explain to children that it's a game and we're very careful about safety so no-one gets hurt, they're fine with it. Wrapping them in cotton wool does them no favours.

Just don't let them become blasé about guns in case they – God forbid – ever find a real firearm when out playing or something. The rule is Stop, Don't touch, Tell an adult. Keeping airsoft devices tidied away is always good practice; when your kids are 12 or 14 you can take them along to a site.

All sites will also welcome observers, so bring your wife too – she might even want to have a go.

MacAonghusa

Bemused wrote: »

... ...I think she is concerned with the idea that this will glorify guns in their eyes.
Gone from feeling excited about this to a little uncertain.
What do ye reckon?

Some people just dislike guns, c'est la vie.
At the end of the day though you're an adult and she has to trust that you're going to handle the guns responsibly so safety should not be a concern.

I don't think there is anyway around the "glorification of guns" if i can put it that way, because the kids will be exposed to violence in many different forms.
If anything airsoft might actually teach the kids that guns can be used safely for fun ... very different that how they are portrayed on tv or in the media.

moggser

its all about makin the kids comfortable around the aeg's



all tho my little lad has been looking at them all the time he is used to them and so is my eldest and she has no interest in them what so ever,

the first time there is something like this brought in to a house for the first time when people dont know what they are its natural for them to freak out a little till ya explain what they are, the safety of them when ya use them and so on
or your kids will end up trying to rob the grand parents like my lil fella above

Bemused

I guess my natural inclination would be to be open about this with the kids on the grounds that it is a sport with absolutely no harm in it. In fact I have been struck by the positive attitude and lack of aggression by the vast majority of those I have encountered in airsoft thus far. I think as soon as one starts to hide things they acquire negative labels even when not deserved.

Thanks for the advice.

bullets

With all the good advice, Its a shame to see somebody has to go spoil it
all over the christmas and posts gob****e like stuff like I found
over the christmas:

Hello my name is XXX this is my m4 automatic assault rifle its very handy for killing crows and small animals!
Shooting at your own kid! Bayonets for stabbing people, the "N" word and
Illegal fireworks for the win!

http://www.youtube.com/user/conhoe1#p/a/u/1/Pi_bfDZjq1k

Stone.cold

bullets wrote: »

With all the good advice, Its a shame to see somebody has to go spoil it
all over the christmas and posts gob****e like stuff like I found
over the christmas:

Hello my name is XXX this is my m4 automatic assault rifle its very handy for killing crows and small animals!
Shooting at your own kid! Bayonets for stabbing people, the "N" word and
Illegal fireworks for the win!

http://www.youtube.com/user/conhoe1#p/a/u/1/Pi_bfDZjq1k

jesus ive seen it all now responsible parenting or what, god help us all

tonyj_mc

bullets wrote: »

With all the good advice, Its a shame to see somebody has to go spoil it
all over the christmas and posts gob****e like stuff like I found
over the christmas:

Hello my name is XXX this is my m4 automatic assault rifle its very handy for killing crows and small animals!
Shooting at your own kid! Bayonets for stabbing people, the "N" word and
Illegal fireworks for the win!

http://www.youtube.com/user/conhoe1#p/a/u/1/Pi_bfDZjq1k

love the part where he chases his kid with the M4, and not one pair of saftey glasses in sight :mad:

Leftyflip

Ridiculous, the way the parents allow that... Shameful on their behalf.
What's even worse is there isn't any safety glasses around at all, how retarded are they?
Nevermind, they clearly are incredibly retarded...

Stone.cold

unfortunatly we cant all live in my house my other half bought me my first airsoft gun & xmas just gone she bought me 2 more and pushes me out the door every sunday to get me out of her hair

Markom5a

bullets wrote: »

With all the good advice, Its a shame to see somebody has to go spoil it
all over the christmas and posts gob****e like stuff like I found
over the christmas:

Hello my name is XXX this is my m4 automatic assault rifle its very handy for killing crows and small animals!
Shooting at your own kid! Bayonets for stabbing people, the "N" word and
Illegal fireworks for the win!

http://www.youtube.com/user/conhoe1#p/a/u/1/Pi_bfDZjq1k

What the ***k that is definately a case for social services!

That is exactly the opposite of what is being said here!

Disgraceful!

Gatling

Holy mother of :mad::mad::mad::mad:

its complete idiots like that,
that tarnish the whole community

seriously

Fallschirmjager

ah yes...most excellent...


oh and i will leave you with this gift...i know i feel good about it...

when (not if ...when) either the little girl or boy wind up in hospital...feel warm and comforted knowing its YOUR tax money hard at work...

Hivemind187

Is it bad I immediately assumed this was a Limerick family?

"thats the gun you keep diown your pants in the club shamoh!"

... *sigh*

ED E

Jaysus, the bayonet. FFS.

junkyman

I have a six year old boy who is completely fascinated with guns in general, everything in my house is turned into a power rangers weapon. Myself and my mate tat I live with both have airsoft devices which we kept out of sight from the young lad but I decided rather than hide them and possibly give him the wrong impression about them I should take the time and responsibility to teach him the safety issues that go hand in hand with all types of devices. He has held the guns, he has asked questions which i've done my best to answer and he is fully aware of just how dangerous these devices can be if not treated with respect. I say take a little time to show your kids that theses devices are to be treated with respect! Its made life in my house a lot easier! That said, I obviously dont leave them lying around fully loaded, give them the knowledge and take away any temptation!

OzCam

We do try to avoid the W word. A weapon is something that's designed or used to cause injury. Airsoft guns are not weapons.

Frank the Manc

"Fast mode"
I must dremmel that onto the receivers of all my guns.

Hivemind187

The video does raise an interesting question ... where can I get an airsoft SKS?

Stercus Accidit

Hivemind187 wrote: »

The video does raise an interesting question ... where can I get an airsoft SKS?

Tis only chaep springer sh1te ronan, more plashtic than a TM.

Hivemind187

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Tis only chaep springer sh1te ronan, more plashtic than a TM.

in that case where can I get a good one?

Fallschirmjager

that was was on rsov hive...i am sure i saw that last year (decemberish)

Gatling

yep thats where that came from

http://www.rsov.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=4099

.22 Lover

All personall airsoft gun imports are illegal no point looking over seas.Unless for parts.

Mervenut

.22 Lover wrote: »

All personall airsoft gun imports are illegal no point looking over seas.Unless for parts.

No they are not, yet!

The ban hasn't come into force yet, the Jan 1st date was a "Target date" set by the DoJ which they have missed. As of yet no firm date for the ban has been announced, so you can buy overseas if you want to.

Leftyflip

I wouldn't risk it though...

.22 Lover

I was wrong Sorry.Have they said what a RIF is yet?

Phractal

I have three younger siblings. 14 (sister), 11 (brother), and 8 (sister). The younger brother recently asked me to take him 'out shooting my machineguns' so I took the lad out to the 'range', gave him safety goggles and explained to him exactly how dangerous the guns are. Then I showed him how to use the M4 I had kicking about and supervised him as he shot targets. He then graduated to my G36c and actually shot some impressive groups.

However the next day I was away at a mates house... I had the mags and batteries removed from both devices and he had a friend over. He had learned how to fill mags and install batteries and got the two AEG's (which were in my drawer under my camo gear, carefully hidden) and installed the batteries. He filled the mags and what did the little fecker do? He took his friend out shooting. My mother almost had a **** fit but my father was actually quite calm as my little brother not only regurgitated my safety talk to his friend but also wore safety goggles, etc. I think we may have a mini airsofter in the making!

Ironically, the AEG is hardly the most dangerous item in my room, yet it is the one that I now store in a locked box (cant trust the little fecker), wheras my recurve bow and arrows are fairly easy to lay ones hands on - the bloody thing wont fit into any decent hiding place. That bow can kill you yet my parents see it as safer than the AEG's. That tells me there is something wrong as most people I know wont react when they see me going to the forest with my boiw and arrows, yet IF they saw me with an AEG they would freak.

junkyman

OzCam wrote: »

We do try to avoid the W word. A weapon is something that's designed or used to cause injury. Airsoft guns are not weapons.

Duly noted and carved into brain!!

jill_valentine

Phractal wrote: »

Ironically, the AEG is hardly the most dangerous item in my room, yet it is the one that I now store in a locked box (cant trust the little fecker), wheras my recurve bow and arrows are fairly easy to lay ones hands on - the bloody thing wont fit into any decent hiding place. That bow can kill you yet my parents see it as safer than the AEG's. That tells me there is something wrong as most people I know wont react when they see me going to the forest with my boiw and arrows, yet IF they saw me with an AEG they would freak.

To be fair, a recurve bow is a little bit less... point-and-click than an AEG.

Firekitten

Indeed. One can tell when a bow is 'loaded' and it takes consious action to do so. An aeg can short circuit, or have bbs in the hop from firing if not cleared. Jill is right. They are just so much more dangerous. A bow, if the arrows are kept away is what? a single note harp without arrows? Very dangerous that... unless you like classical music.

Lemming

Phractal, how many pounds of pressure does your recurve bow require to draw? Could your little brother physically do so in order to loose an arrow? Some bows - depending on type are around the 20-25 pounds of pressure just to pull the drawstring; never mind hold it long enough to loose an arrow. Some adults wouldn't be up to the task never mind an eleven year old.

As Jill has said; an AEG requires that you move a finger and it fires. Quite a difference really. Yes a drawn bow is potentially far, far, faaaaaaaaaaaar more dangerous (assuming the shooter has any sort of accuracy and skill) but you have to be able to both draw and aim the bugger first.


edit. Yes I know recurves require less effort to draw than a long bow (hence the recurve design) but you get the idea anyway.

zero19

Would ya not take down the recurve bow? They dont take up much space when broken down

jill_valentine

I think I sent us off on a bit of a tangent.

Lemming

jill_valentine wrote: »

I think I sent us off on a bit of a tangent.

Bit of a curve and what-not with all this talk of recurves

jill_valentine

Lemming man, you should be ashamed.

Phractal

Lemming: My brother is able to use said bow fairly easily (I occasionally take him shooting it, I got a smaller one from my beginners days that I let him use under careful supervision) - I think its only around 40lb draw and I only use it for 'plinking' at targets. It still has enough power to kill though, and enough accuracy to be used for bad things - picked her up in France for €30 on a sale.

Zero: I just figured out HOW to take it down ' it was cleverly desighed to be 'collapsable'. It is now in a bag in the corner of my room. Still... Those arrows are rather sharp :P

Yes, a bow is easily checked to see if it is loaded :P

Firekitten

Buy some corks, or put them somewhere... arrows dont take up much space.

Point is, its a deliberate action to draw and fire it. the aeg can go off accidentally.


Back on topic now methinks?

The Master

Off topic stuff posted by lots of people

I own a hammer, Imagine what could happen if a child...................

Hmmm Thread title is Airsoft and children

Could we stick to this please?