Airsoft guns, should I let my son have one?

biederboat · 05-20-2003, 02:45 PM

My generally responsible son wants an airsoft gun. Aparently he and his buddies are intending to get them. He's a good kid and I don't have any inhertent concerns but should I? It's not so much with the gun itself (which I don't know a lot about but trying to educate myself on) I'm concerned with as what generally happens when a crowd of kids get together with these things. My son is trained in hunter & gun saftey but the other kids probably won't be. If you have any experience here I should know about, please share and I will be grateful!

Thanks,
Biederboat

fish_on · 05-20-2003, 02:51 PM

Had my first BB gun at 7, my first .22 at 9, .410 11, 20ga & .308 12, .45 auto 16. Having and being around guns makes you respect them and know how to and not to use them.

[ 05-20-2003, 03:52 PM: Message edited by: fish_on ]

Old Coot · 05-20-2003, 02:59 PM

Can you give us more information? How old is your son? What experience does he have beyond Hunter Safety... 14-18 class hours may seem like forever sitting through them, but my younger students that I have encountered a year after passing Hunter Ed class seem to retain about 40% of what they "learned." What are his friends like? Do you live in town, where the constables are likely to get excited, or out in the country? The Airsofts seem to move along at 300-500 FPS, which, I think, is fast enough to do some damage if somebody gets careless.

On the other hand...I think I was using my sister's Red Ryder BB gun when I was about 10. Speaking of which, are you handy at glazing windows?

biederboat · 05-20-2003, 03:15 PM

My son is 15, he's been hunting with me and seems pretty "intuitively safe". Hasn't been in a shooting situation yet at game but we do some plinking together. His friends I would be more concerned about but I think they're basically good kids. No other reason to be suspicious except that they (other kids) haven't had hunter education or likely any other kind of gun safety training.

Biederboat

Artwo · 05-20-2003, 03:32 PM

biederboat,
I didn't know what these guns were, had never heard of them so I went to the internet and looked them up. Basically a glorified BB gun that shoots larger plastic BB's, they look pretty cool. I only had a couple concerns from what I read; 1) safety while using, they say the BB's come out at 250-300 fps. I think I'ld want to be wearing some safety glasses because you know they'll be using them on each other, that's what they're for, like paintball with no mess. 2) These firearms also do not have the red end on them to signal to authorities that it is a toy, big problem in my eyes. Even the website I looked at had a safety concern for this http://shortyusa.com/index.html?RID=%204218 check it out. Could be a potential lethal problem if ever encounted the wrong way, should be a manufacturing requirement in my opionion. Hope I helped...............

JK

Cool Texan · 05-20-2003, 03:50 PM

biederboat, here is how it works:

Kids: "CAR!!!"

Pow! Whiiffffff...PING!!!

Kids: "Woohoo! Hubcap shot!!"

Scrreeeeeccchhh!!

Kids: "He's coming back...RUN!!!!"

Police: "Uh Mark, I have your son and his friends here...."

:grin:

That said....you should absolutely buy him one!! We all had BB guns growing up. Its a rite of passage!

MasterCaster · 05-20-2003, 05:30 PM

Maybe offer to take them out somwhere to shoot? See how he and the other kids react around each other while in that situation.You may have a chance to teach someone else a little about gun safety while your at it. I think I was 9 when I got my first bb gun but I was brought up around guns/hunting my whole life. Not all kids have that advantage.

Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

biederboat · 05-21-2003, 06:27 AM

After hearing from everyone and checking it out on the internet, I've decided to let him get one and (of course) monitor the situation. He has responsibly used a BB gun for quite some time but that's not something you shoot at other people with. Maybe I'm old fashioned, it's this whole shooting at other people that get's me a bit. Oh well, times change.

Biederboat

Smj · 05-21-2003, 06:44 AM

So where do those thousands and thousands of plastic BBs end up?

Smj

Cool Texan · 05-21-2003, 07:49 AM

SMJ, just poke a hole in them...instant corkie.

Lepper · 05-21-2003, 07:43 PM

Airsoft is just another version of paintball, but with a type of rubber bb.. instead of a paintball.. The guns are a LOT more realistic which could cause problems if not handled correctly.. (i.e. flashing the gun) Technically it will belong to you.. not your son.. since you are suppose to be like 18 or 21 to own one.

And if you get him one.. you should get the ww2 replica of a .50 cal machine gun.. AWESOME!!
dave

Bendman · 05-21-2003, 08:39 PM

Whoever said that they are a scaled down model of a paint ball gun is correct. My friends and I all have them and needless to say we don't shoot at targets with them. They hurt! I have scars from one gun that shoots WAY too hard. The reason I decided to reply to this is because I wanted to warn your son of something. Because the guns look real make sure he is very careful of where he plays with them, and ALWAYS whear eye protection. My friends had an unfortunate run in with the police in which one of them went to jail. When people see you playing with these guns they tend to call the police thinking your runing around killing each other. Have fun and be careful. Bendman

Albacore Tuna Captain · 05-22-2003, 08:15 AM

Being a retire police officer, I have some concerns about young people playing with any toy that looks like a real gun and can be used in play like a real gun. When you see a little kid with a toy gun, you don't have too much trouble identifying that it is a child at play. When you see a young adult pointing a look alike gun at another young adult the first thing that will come to the mind of a police officer is that it is a potential LETHAL situation and he will react accordingly. I feel that these paint guns or softair guns should only be used in a controlled enviornment where there will be no doubt. To allow young adults to run around their neighborhoods with gun look likes, pointing them at people, is asking for heart ache and is totally irresponsible on the part of a parent to allow it and on the part of the manufacture and retailer to make them available without some type of warning.

Lepper · 05-22-2003, 09:37 PM

He doesn't sound like the type of parent that would say, "here johnny go out and shoot the neighbor kids" But I do understand the concern..

and just for the record Paint ball guns dont' look like real guns.. especially compared to airsoft..

pdxkevin · 05-23-2003, 05:30 AM

I would try to stear him more towards the paintball guns. I would hate the think of some LEO mistaking the airsoft for a real gun. If the kids are playing hard and not hearing what's going on around them (we've all tuned the world out at one point or another) and doesn't hear the officer demand "DROP IT....." things could go bad very quickly.

Make sure you impress that it is not he nor his freinds you are worried about doing something worng. It's the others out there who might get the wrong impression.

KingFisher85 · 05-23-2003, 07:41 AM

Lepper
Don't tell me paintball guns don't look like real guns. See here
I can take just about any Tippmann 98 custom paintball gun and make it look just like an HK-MP5

biederboat
All I can say is you have to give your kid a chance. Let him know that if he screws up then he loses the gun and its gonna be a long time before he ever gets another!

[ 05-23-2003, 07:51 PM: Message edited by: KingFisher85 ]

Cool Texan · 05-23-2003, 08:08 AM

Biederboat,

We should start up a pool on this. How long before junior gets in trouble with the gun. :grin: :tongue:

Straydog · 05-23-2003, 10:49 AM

CT,

A little friendly advice for when you do become a parent. Automaticaly assuming a kid is going to do something wrong is a good way to up the chances that they will.

As for the topic. Get him the gun, go over all the concerns and worries and let him decide how he will treat the new toy. If he misuses it, be sure the consequences fit the "crime".

biederboat · 05-23-2003, 08:20 PM

Hey CT, you took a thrashing on that one, I knew your tongue was in your cheek if you ever wanted to go fishing again! I know your time with kids is coming....

To all: He did get his gun, it does look awfully "real", even with the red ring on the end. So far, so good (albeit no "combat" yet) and I hope it stays that way! He knows if he screws up it's going on eBay (to let some other parent test their kid). While I think good kids will generally stay good kids, I am guessing that there is at least a slight temptation to push the limits more with a "toy" like this (a greater chance that an otherwise good kid will do something naughty). Time will tell but if he DOES use it responsibly I believe he will be the better for it.

Thanks all,
Biederboat

Cool Texan · 05-23-2003, 11:24 PM

Bieder, I'll jump in your boat any time. Next time out though I get to pay for gas and bait.

Dont put it on Ebay, sell it to me...I can shoot Straydog's hubcaps with it! :grin:

Cool Texan · 05-23-2003, 11:46 PM

"A little friendly advice for when you do become a parent. Automaticaly assuming a kid is going to do something wrong is a good way to up the chances that they will. "

Give me a break Stray. You can save your preaching.

[ 05-23-2003, 12:47 PM: Message edited by: Cool Texan ]

biederboat · 05-24-2003, 07:00 AM

We could always take it along fishing with us...paint the red ring black, fire off a few warning shots at boats that troll to close...

Straydog · 05-24-2003, 07:15 AM

CT,

No preaching, simply offering friendly advice, just as I stated.

You young guys and your sensitive egos are amusing.....

By the way, my hubcaps are hard to hit, I drive a low rider! :grin:

Ryan Pultz · 05-24-2003, 09:50 AM

hey i need one next time that seal gets to close to the boat or my fish he will get what�s coming. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

Straydog · 05-24-2003, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cool Texan:
Bieder, I think I still have bruises from playing paintball in shorts 5 years ago! :grin:

Stray, you're an odd individual.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Thanks! :grin:

biederboat · 05-24-2003, 11:00 PM

Ryan, I think you will need more than an airsoft gun, they are pretty much all bark and little bite. The worst thing would be a lucky (or rather unluckly) shot into an eve, which could put it out (which is why you wear goggles). On bare skin, the worst thing would likely be a nasty sting.

Biederboat

Cool Texan · 05-24-2003, 11:13 PM

Bieder, I think I still have bruises from playing paintball in shorts 5 years ago! :grin:

Stray, you're an odd individual.

Bendman · 05-24-2003, 11:25 PM

I've wanted to shoot those seals SO bad with my paintball gun. I'm just not brave enough. Scared of getting in trouble. It would be fun though.