Ok, first off I'm going to need to reiterate the fact that I really don't care if 'kids' play airsoft or not. I'm 21 so that part really doesn't matter to me! I'm not trying to argue with any of you or change anyone's mind about letting them play. (It's very apparent I couldn't if I tried)
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Originally Posted by Droc
Clubs can turn away whoever they want.
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Fair enough, but last time I checked wasn't this called prejudice? And please don't argue that the law says it's diferent because 50-100 years ago there were many laws that excluded women and many ethnic groups. It's still prejudiced!
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Originally Posted by Droc
There is more to minors then just being underage and owning a gun, there is maturity and comfort levels...Mostly though, its the guns. The fact that they DO find ways to get guns, is a problem. We dont want guns in the hands of minors. Its simply not right. Its risky and its a bad image overall.
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I agree that there are many problems with kids being immature and stupid, but as you said they DO find ways to get guns. There is not a thing you or I or any retailer can do about it. As much as we would like to. Personally I think it would be Ideal if it were possible to keep them all out of the hands of kids.
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Originally Posted by Droc
Obiously, you havent been to many games yet. There is no guy behind the desk of the venue. Airsoft clubs are for the most part, played on private property. Most well-established fields are on someones back property. Most owners play. Its their land, plain and simple. They do care. And if you have a well-established players group who doesnt want minors, then typically its in the owners best intrest to keep his regulars happy.
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And I'm really trying not to, but I can't help but take at least some offense to this. The place where we play here (for indoor) doubles as a lasertag place before 6:00pm so yes there is a "guy behind the desk". And for outdoor it's usually paintball places so once again there is a "guy behind the desk"
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Originally Posted by Droc
But dude, you gotta check to see if things are rattling around properly in that melon of yours. Saying that its our fault that minors do stupid things because we dont let them on our fields....is simply retarded.
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And as much as I tried earlier I have to take offense to this one. I'm going to take a quick off topic break to say that so far as I know I've tried to be quite respectful this entire time. I have a good sense of humour so I would normally be fine with this if it didn't feel a bit condescending. Anyways, back to the topic at hand. I said earlier that we may be 'indirectly' causing it. It's not really our fault per se however it may be the 'reason' that these kids go out and play with their friends in the park.
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Originally Posted by Droc
So if I shoot a real-steel handgun at a gun club here in Ottawa, and I end up screwing the owners wife, he kicks me outta his shooting club, does that encourage me to act in an uninformed and stupid manner?
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No, but there are still ways you can shoot your gun while following the laws, these kids get a choice. Put their guns away in the closet for the next few years, or break the law and go play in the park.
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Originally Posted by Droc
We do everything we can to encourage proper behaviour. The rules are here. But if a minor doesnt like the rules and side-steps them, thats their fault. We didnt encouage that.
example:
If I tell nizfiz here not to play airsoft untill hes of-age, im not encouraging him "do it anyways" if he doesnt want to do what we recommend, and decides to go out and do it anyways, then thats his fault, not mine. Im not forcing him to act stupidly. saying its ok to act stupidly simple because he cant play at our field is retarded.
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It's never ok to do stupid things and I know that no one here would ever want that, including myself. you are however forcing him into a choice! One that most kids will choose the option we don't want them to.
I want to get across here I'm not trying to change anyone's mind about letting kids play. Just please think about what effect that may have on whether or not a kid will find his own way of using his gun. A lot of us tend to turn a blind eye towards a kid after we tell him he can't play, or can't buy a gun. Yet we're the first to be up in arms when one of us reads an article about the police catching some kids playing in a park or something like that.
Even if we aren't part of the problem, so far we aren't part of the solution either.