Airsoft in the news

DufferO8

http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/blogsection/8/95/

just click on east and look at page 2.

Thoughts?
also Michael Kennedy, TD was talking about this too.

FunkBlaster87

Don't worry, no one will ever read that. I've already got annoyed at their cr@ppy interface and given up.

mcshape

lol, i read it, Miss Twomey is obiously scraping the bottom of the barrel for a groundbreaking story... Yawn, I especially loved where she talked about the glock having a "realistic metal shaft"

Leftyflip

*ahem* finger OFF the trigger there love...
What's with the reference to a metal "shaft" on the Glock, summit dodgey there...
Damn you McShape, you beat me!

Beez

Pretty dam painful to use that site :rolleyes:

BioHazRd

I read the article and to be honest, as sensational and groundbreaking as it may have been intended, there is not a whole lot in there I would have a problem with. The offence of brandishing was mentioned and the Garda spokesman gave a reasonable interpretation of the law.
I was also happy to see mention of the retailer (strikearms) advising customers of the legality and responsibility of the customer.
All in all, another case of "nothing to see here, move along please"

evilrobotshane

Ahh sure give the poor woman a break (or a realistic shaft, wakka wakka), she's writing the whole paper by herself from the looks of it.

Dude from Strikearms did a pretty good job of explaining what it's all about, and the mention of the over-18s requirement, the fact that parents are coming in to buy them and supporting it, and the existence of a hobby game based around them to provide an actual reason for owning them apart from being a creepy maniac meant the article does more good than harm in my opinion.

Except to my brain. Trying to read the article on that website almost had me flinging my computer across the room in rage.

deco nate

nice one!!!100 euro for a glock.
if its kwa ill have two:D

bullets

It did not seem overly bad being honest when you compare
it to articles that have appeared in the past that were totally
negative.

Bit on the news down Limwreck way about high powered pellet guns being sold at the Riverfest that was on at the weekend, think it was being discussed on the old wireless but did not catch it.

~B

swiftblade

Im proubly not the only one, but the first thing i noticed was the lovey AK she is holding

I didn't find it too negative at all. Lets be honest here, about 90% of the public are still not aware of airsoft. We can't expect an article written with no negative sides.
At least she didn't mention "pellet guns" which is thrown around a lot, and the fact she went to a proper airsoft store and not some dodgy "back street" dealer.

N.O.I.P.

Harmless story for the most part but the whole "its better to be held up with an imitation firearm" argument just makes me cringe. When you're selling something (in this case the concept of airsoft) you never make reference to ways in which it could be misused. Doubt you'll ever hear a car salesman telling someone its better to be knocked down by the new mondeo because it meets new EU pedestrian safety regulations (No idea is it does by the way just happened to be the first car I thought of ).

kdouglas

No offence to Alan from Strikearms, but WTF was he thinking letting a reporter take a photo like that in the store? And "put the fear of god into you" not the correct type of language to be using with reference to airsoft.


Otherwise, a fairly standard "we're trying to sensationalise a non-issue" type of story. With the recent changes in law regarding airsoft, these stories become even more pointless.

.22 Lover

I have both of my gun's getting fixed in that shop and im not happy beacause now every person in swords that Will have no intion use an airsoft gun in as there suppose to be used who diddent know a store near them now has the option to to walk up to the local store put on a smily face and there, idots with a gun's:mad:

As to the store they are verry nice people to deal with.[edit] deco nate there Not KWA glocks.

deco nate

yea,i know,just my jokin way of pointin out a non story,rather than
say,oh no not another story puttin airsoft in a bad light....
glocks for a 100 yo-yos:D
at least some real facts in this story bout airsoft,not pellet guns......blah
...blah
(it was funny in my head,when i thought of it:o)

Shiva

.22 Lover wrote: »

I have both of my gun's getting fixed in that shop and im not happy beacause now every person in swords that Will have no intion use an airsoft gun in as there suppose to be used who diddent know a store near them now has the option to to walk up to the local store put on a smily face and there, idots with a gun's:mad:

And if they misuse them, they'll be dealt with by the Gardai.

I understand your annoyance, kinda....but you cant expect Alan to sell only to current skirmishers. The sport would never grow if the existing skirmishers were the only customers we retailers and sites had.

Articles like this can be damaging, but they can also help the sport grow by drawing attention to us from people who never heard of airsoft, but suddenly see something they might like to try out. We cant assume very single new airsofter is a scrote

As a responsible retailer, and IAA affiliate, Strikearms already have policies and procedures in place in dealing with undesirables.

And speaking from a business perspective.......This article about Eirsoft was on the front page of Evening Herald a year and a half ago, and while a lot of people felt we were treated unfairly, and were up in arms, I was delighted....you cant buy advertising like that We had people coming in for months later saying they first heard about airsoft through that headline.

The cup is always half full

Shiva

I just re-read that old Herald article, and the reporter there calls it a "metal shaft" too. And miss-spells joule the same way.

In fact it could almost be the exact same article, but with Alan instead of Richie, and Strikearms instead of Eirsoft.

MerryDespot

Shiva wrote: »

Articles like this can be damaging, but they can also help the sport grow by drawing attention to us from people who never heard of airsoft, but suddenly see something they might like to try out. We cant assume very single new airsofter is a scrote

I agree Tony.

This time last year I'd no clue about airsoft being around (rather than now, where I just have no clue about airsoft, but know it's around:)). I saw a piece on RTE news showing one of the sites (not sure which - might have been Rathbeggan) on a slow news day.

That led to me visiting one of the retailers and seeing the kit. Which led to my first airsoft gun. That has led to me skirmishing the odd time, then skirmishing regularly, then joining a team and turning into an airsoft junkie. But, if I hadn't heard about the sport from the news I'd still be in the dark. In fairness the RTE piece was measured - it treated airsoft as alternative paintball, so not as sensationalist as these few pieces in the last few days have attempted to be.

Rogue-Trooper

Shiva wrote: »

And speaking from a business perspective.......This article about Eirsoft was on the front page of Evening Herald a year and a half ago

AHA! So it seems Richie is responsible for introducing the concept of 'metal shafts' to female reporters......





LOL!


Edit: Tony beat me to it!

roryk1

lads keep an eye on the star apperantly should be another article in next day or so:eek:

BioHazRd

roryk1 wrote: »

lads keep an eye on the star apperantly should be another article in next day or so:eek:

do you have anything to back this up ?

Blazer

yep..another writeup in the star today..and again starring strikearms..
and yet again they let a reporter pose with Glocks and AK47's...bunch of fúckin ****...it looks like strikearms is risking airsoft being banned for free publicity for their shops..I think any airsofter should boycott them to be honest.
I'm about to order an AEG for €450 from eirsoft...however 3 articles in the paper this week is leading me to reconsider about splashing out this kind of cash in the event the State decideds to ban it thanks to scaremongering articles like this...
If I was Shiva I'd be fair pissed at strikearms for putting his business at risk? Or maybe I'm overreacting?

roryk1

BioHazRd wrote: »

do you have anything to back this up ?

P61 the star my friend works the press's told there was going to be 1 this morning

deepimpact

Can anyone get a scan of the Star article and post it here?

I'm not spending my hard earned on a pos rag like the Star.

roryk1

will try now

roryk1

sorry my printer still buggerd

Blazer

article here

defenderdude

Lets look at the positive side - it's publicity for airsoft (which some here seem to think we need to survive as a sport) :rolleyes:

and

at least they published the IAA guideline/warning.;)


It's not the first and it wont be the last...

Puding

wow imm those pictures are interesting choice, im sorry but he did not turn up at the shop in multicam ( i take it that is a picture of the jurnalist? ) who on earth thought it would be a good idea to take that picture

and even more interesting choice of vocabulary and imagery within the piece

''its better that he pulls out a toy than a machete'' im hoping that is a miss quote, im sorry but who ever this guy interviewed needs a crash course in PR, in the past a lot of the negative articles have been off set by the rationality and common sense of the retailers involved, reading this is like watching a car crash

swiftblade

Its not that bad, i've seen worse, but the pictures are awfull. Gives completely the wrong impression. Im suprised the shop owner let him take pictures like that.

The wording is terrible too. "Weapons" ect, and the headline.

I suppose we have to expect things like this.

defenderdude

Added bonus - now the IAA shooting range at Salute (or wherever) will have a picture worth shooting at...:D:D

Damo 2k9

I dont see why strikearms gave him the multicam coat and shemagh to take the picture, as if duel wielding ak's wasnt bad enough :rolleyes:

Blazer

defenderdude wrote: »

Added bonus - now the IAA shooting range at Salute (or wherever) will have a picture worth shooting at...:D:D

damn man..pudges would be hard to miss;)

.22 Lover

Wow this will really give youngsters a WRONG impression of how airsoft should be used the more of these articals i see the more i get pissed off at the owner for letting them take thoes shots:eek::mad:

miniture

ya if it wasnt for the shemagh and the multicam we could just say he wanted to be like willie o dee. lol:p

Stercus Accidit

miniture wrote: »

ya if it wasnt for the shemagh and the multicam we could just say he wanted to be like willie o dee. lol:p

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY4ure_GSHw

I shwear on my tash its decent hash.

miniture

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY4ure_GSHw

I shwear on my tash its decent hash.

hang on a minute thats not willie. you had me going there up untill the guitar solo everyone knows willie plays the saxomophone

fayer

Ok letting one reporter into your shop and talking to them for an article about "dangerous weapons" that is calling for restrictions is a bad idea, doing it twice in one week, you must be a complete idiot, yes I'm talking about you Alan! For a while I wondered if it was simply stupidity, but after the negative reaction to the first article I simply couldn't believe that and have settled on the opinion that Strikearms is gambling the safety and security of our sport and past time, and many other people's lively hood for some cheap publicity (notice Alan has very nice plugs for his website in the paper). Allowing someone, no less a reporter to pose in your shop, dressed in that manor, in that sensationalist poise stinks of a PR stunt, dont try and tell me that he got all dressed up and took the photo without your knowledge!

I have it on good authority that this particular paper has been approaching other shops over the past week, all of who had the intelligence, or regard for the sport to tell them to piss off / directed there questions to the IAA (I dont think that direction was taken by the reporter but I stand to be corrected)

Retailers and Venues throughout the country (IAA affiliate and not) get regular calls form Media outlets when a Journo stumbles across our sport, quite alot refer them to the IAA, and the story dies once the press here we support the incoming restrictions and actually requested quite an amount of there content, it has been known on some occasions the paper runs a positive story after speaking to the association. So if you have had a negative experience with a media outlet and another, larger and more ruthless one approaches you why not call the IAA for support or refuse to comment and allow photos to be take.

Given this disgusting disregard for others, intentional or not, I will not be spending any money whit this bunch, I would ask players that are equally annoyed by this string of events to voice their opposition by speaking with their wallets and taking there business elsewhere.

Witcher

Bad article all round..finger on trigger, picture clearly posed possibly for publicity as Fayer said, the quotes from the retailer in question are cringeworthy and where exactly did that IAA quote come from? Doesn't seem like something they would just write on the website.

Atleast there's incoming legislation to put pay to their bloodlust.

fayer

Blay wrote: »

where exactly did that IAA quote come from? Doesn't seem like something they would just write on the website.

I think it is on the site, but is totally out of context, its up there in a paragraph about treating the equipment with respect as the public wont understand it.

Stercus Accidit

Blay wrote: »

...to put pay to their bloodlust.

What a way to top off a post!

Witcher

fayer wrote: »

I think it is on the site, but is totally out of context, its up there in a paragraph about treating the equipment with respect as the public wont understand it.

Ah right, The Star's journalism at it's best..just squish any quote in to fill up the word count.:rolleyes:

kdouglas

Playing devil's advocate for a moment, it is possible that Strikearms somehow did not know about that photograph or see it until it went to print today.

However....... That one photo alone brings airsoft back into the public eye in the negative way in which it was being treated 2 years ago and I will not see all the hard work done by the IAA committee's over the last couple of years thrown away by one foolish person.

With this in mind (and the caveat that Strikearms may be innocent in all this) I have submitted the following to the IAA Committee as a complaint against Strike arms and would encourage other's to do likewise if they see fit. (Feel free to copy and paste/amend my text if you wish)

All,

I would like to make an official complaint regarding the affiliated IAA member Strikearms.

Point number 2 of the IAA Retailer Regulations state;

"Retailers must not engage in business practice which brings the sport of airsoft into disrepute."

As a member of the association, ex-committee member and regular member of the Irish airsoft community since it's beginning in Ireland, I am disgusted at the article published in today's Irish Star newspaper. While the text of the article itself is somewhat reasonable in comparison to other similar articles seen in previous years, the accompanying photograph* (which is what the majority of reader's will likely note) undermines all of the hardwork put in by yourselves and your predecessors serving only to sensationalize the subject in the mind of the reader.

I would like the committee to investigate under what circumstances these photographs were taken, and how much knowledge and/or participation the owner/staff of Strikearms had in their creation and if necessary, take appropriate disciplinary action against this affiliate for what I believe to be misconduct which directly violates the above quoted retailer regulation.

Should the committee discover that the reporter pictured in the photograph was acting without prior knowledge of Strikearms then I would retract my complaint.

I would appreciate acknowledgement of this mail by reply.

Yours Sincerely
Keith Douglas


*= http://boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=113191&d=1273332819

Puding

Playing devil's advocate for a moment, it is possible that Strikearms somehow did not know about that photograph or see it until it went to print today.

i would like to believe this, as tbh i find it hard to believe a retailor could be this stupid. but tbh what journalist is going to happen to have some multicam laying about and not have anything to do with airsoft already, you do not really find it in your local surplus store, if it was british dpm or something like that i could maybe see it happening but come on multicam

.22 Lover

kdouglas wrote: »

Playing devil's advocate for a moment, it is possible that Strikearms somehow did not know about that photograph or see it until it went to print today.

However....... That one photo alone brings airsoft back into the public eye in the negative way in which it was being treated 2 years ago and I will not see all the hard work done by the IAA committee's over the last couple of years thrown away by one foolish person.

With this in mind (and the caveat that Strikearms may be innocent in all this) I have submitted the following to the IAA Committee as a complaint against Strike arms and would encourage other's to do likewise if they see fit. (Feel free to copy and paste/amend my text if you wish)

How long does it normally take for the IAA to come up with a result?

kdouglas

Puding wrote: »

i would like to believe this, as tbh i find it hard to believe a retailor could be this stupid. but tbh what journalist is going to happen to have some multicam laying about and not have anything to do with airsoft already, you do not really find it in your local surplus store, if it was british dpm or something like that i could maybe see it happening but come on multicam

Indeed, coupled with the fact that the photo is very obviously taken in an airsoft store, then it's even less likely. At the very least, I would expect that maybe the photo was taken when no staff were paying attention/busy serving other customers, but then this begs the question, why wasn't someone duel wielding AK's and getting their photo taken asked... "are you press?"

kdouglas

.22 Lover wrote: »

How long does it normally take for the IAA to come up with a result?

I can't say for definite, as with anything, these things take time, the committee are volunteer members with real lives and jobs and there are alot of things to be taken into consideration which alot of people outside of the committee wouldn't think of. But it does no harm to let them know that members are not happy with an affiliate.

fayer

kdouglas wrote: »

With this in mind (and the caveat that Strikearms may be innocent in all this) I have submitted the following to the IAA Committee as a complaint against Strike arms and would encourage other's to do likewise if they see fit. (Feel free to copy and paste/amend my text if you wish)

I also lodged an official complaint.

I would like to think the same Keith, but 2 reporters and 2 pictures in the shop, I cant but think this was at worse solicited at best allowed to proceed after being doorstepped.

Puding

kdouglas wrote: »

Indeed, coupled with the fact that the photo is very obviously taken in an airsoft store, then it's even less likely. At the very least, I would expect that maybe the photo was taken when no staff were paying attention/busy serving other customers, but then this begs the question, why wasn't someone duel wielding AK's and getting their photo taken asked... "are you press?"

have to agree, so take your pick its either down too stupidity ( letting them take the picture and helping out ) or incompetence ( not noticing what there doing and what was going on )

fayer

.22 Lover wrote: »

How long does it normally take for the IAA to come up with a result?

I believe the current committee's policy is 1 calendar month. I think that is reasonable.

Witcher

kdouglas wrote: »

Indeed, coupled with the fact that the photo is very obviously taken in an airsoft store, then it's even less likely. At the very least, I would expect that maybe the photo was taken when no staff were paying attention/busy serving other customers, but then this begs the question, why wasn't someone duel wielding AK's and getting their photo taken asked... "are you press?"

It's disappointing really.



(2000th post:))

defenderdude

Lads - lets not make this into a witch hunt - especially here on boards. Strikearms dont have a presence here afaik and cant defend himself (not going to be easy I admit)

Mistakes were obviously made - but until the full facts are established which can be easily done over the phone or better still "face to face"

all I ask for is a little restraint - if some wannabe-reporter wants to get a story - he doesnt have to try very hard... It's not news - we are, and always will be a soft target.