| Airsoft guns may soon be going the way of | | | | |
| real guns around the world, even in the US. | | | | In light of the calls to ban what are |
| Built to resemble actual weapons, Airsoft | | | | essentially toys, it?s quite ironic that the |
| guns instead shoot pellets and are used in | | | | rise of Airsoft popularity began in Asian |
| several games much like paintball. These | | | | countries where access to real firearms is |
| games range from freeform death match style | | | | difficult. The realistic look of the guns |
| in which all the players are basically out | | | | contributed to the popularity of the games in |
| for themselves and anything goes, to team | | | | which they used, lending them a certain |
| play that resembles war games. Although | | | | reality that older style pellet guns simply |
| pellets are used instead of bullets or | | | | didn?t have. Eventually, the craze pushed |
| paintballs, getting hit can still result in a | | | | westward and took up residence in Europe and |
| nasty sting and a lingering wound. | | | | America. With the lax gun control laws in |
| | | | America, these Airsoft guns are much more |
| Complaints against Airsoft guns have come | | | | dangerous. While it?s unlikely that a large |
| from a number of quarters. For instance, the | | | | group of young people in Japan or England |
| University of Hawaii at Manoa has banned | | | | would be walking around openly carrying real |
| Airsoft guns. Despite that ban?or, indeed, | | | | guns, the police in America don?t have the |
| perhaps because of it?the campus was the site | | | | luxury of second guessing. If a policeman |
| of a series of assaults on students by | | | | sees a gun that looks real he simply has to |
| someone using an Airsoft pellet gun. Even so, | | | | assume that it is real, especially when |
| much of the uproar has less to do with the | | | | pointed at him. |
| damage done by the pellets and more with the | | | | |
| construction of the guns themselves. | | | | The answer, clearly, doesn?t have to be |
| | | | outright banning of Airsoft guns. Since even |
| Airsoft guns can take the form of handguns or | | | | accidental victims of pellet shots often |
| larger rifles and they can look remarkably | | | | admit that getting shot by one of them isn?t |
| realistic. It is this realism that has raised | | | | terribly painful, it seems rather ridiculous |
| questions of safety, not the actual damage | | | | to ban these guns when the banning of real |
| done by the pellets. Recently in Florida, a | | | | handguns are impossible. Rather, why not just |
| middle school student was shot by police | | | | make them less realistic? That doesn?t |
| after he brandished a weapon at them. The | | | | necessarily entail stripping the Airsoft guns |
| weapon turned out to be a pellet gun, though | | | | of all realism, but would it hurt to redesign |
| it was never established whether or not it | | | | them subtly so that it is obvious they aren?t |
| was actually an Airsoft gun. From a distance, | | | | actual handguns? |
| Airsoft guns definitely resemble the real | | | | |
| thing and this has certainly led to a move to | | | | The cost of realism in a game hardly seems |
| ban them. | | | | worth the price of a life. |