Newton Teen Arrested for ADW BB Gun

[ShadeWPI]

Danrk,

I totally agree. I used to use Airsoft Weapons as a great force on force training tool. If you pick up the 8mm air-soft weapons (these are much more popular in Europe than the US) you can even get 8mm air-soft paint-balls that load into very realistic weapons.

We found this very useful for practicing room clearing and building sweeping with a team, aggressor force training. We set up some fake walls at a facility we were using to configure things like our houses and simulated break-ins, sweeps and encounters.

Unfortunately MGL says "Air Rifles" are "dangerous weapons" and without a clear defintion of an "air-rifle or BB-gun" you're stuck trying to argue that a "air-soft toy" isn't a "BB-gun or air-rifle"

 

[In_God_We_Trust]

Unfortunately MGL says "Air Rifles" are "dangerous weapons" and without a clear defintion of an "air-rifle or BB-gun" you're stuck trying to argue that a "air-soft toy" isn't a "BB-gun or air-rifle"

Bingo. That will cost you a second mortgage on your home to prove that point.

 

[GaryO]

Obviously there were no lawyers around or every one of those kids would have been loaded into an ambulance and wasted time at the hospital havin these kids looked at. How long will it be before the kids are treated for post traumatic stress?

 

[derrick_lui]

I have shown this picture to a few of you here but I love posting it so here it is. One of these is a toy, and slightly off screen has an orange tip. If you look carefully at the one on the right you can see that the Colt markings have actually been melted off in order to make it through customs being shipped here from Japan. This is hardly the toy in question in the story but you can easily see how even someone familiar with firearms would be able to mistake one of these for the real deal. I am obviously not against airsoft, but there are many situations where it can be seen as more than a toy. However I would not go as far as to claim it was a dangerous weapon.

I used to have a few airsoft guns made by Marui...they are 99% identicle to the real steel. The dealer that sent the airsoft guns over used interchangable orange tips and "putty" that you can peel off to reveal the original trademarks.
*obviously I kept the orange tip and didnt peel off the putty to be stay legal.*

I loved shooting those things when I was younger...and I agree with you that these things are no where near as a "dangerous weapon"...the name "airsoft" implies that these things are not lethal...

 

[MXD]

I am 100% for the 2A
I am 100% for it being a fed issue license
I am 100% for it being "shall" and not "may"

BUT

because someone not fit to own a real gun can get their hands on something that looks 99% like the real thing, I am 100% AGAINST these things being made to look just like the real thing and sold at department stores. Its a matter of time (if it hasn't happened already) that some kid is going to get killed because he pulled a stupid prank. I know, I know, his parents this....he was a moron that.....Social darwinism.......blah blah blah. The punishment should fit the crime. A stupid kid pulling a prank with one of these might not have malicious intent and it could still cost him his life.

My son is only 2 but I promise he will not have toy guns......he'll have real ones (when he is old enough), but not toy ones.

 

[gene]

I often wonder how many of those what I suspect are punks I have seen in Hampton buying these things paint the orange black and commit crimes with them.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I often wonder how many of those what I suspect are punks I have seen in Hampton buying these things paint the orange black and commit crimes with them.

What kills me is that there are municipalities that want to ban these not because of what you posted, but because they're afraid the cops might shoot someone wielding one.

 

[Pete85]

What kills me is that there are municipalities that want to ban these not because of what you posted, but because they're afraid the cops might shoot someone wielding one.

The orange tips are there for a reason. IMO, if someone has the will to remove or paint the orange tip to make the toy gun undiscernable from a real gun, they have malicious intentions. If I'm holding a gun that looks real (toy or not) I expect anyone I encounter to treat me as though I'm holding a real gun.

 

[rep308]

My sons Glock airsoft pistol jammed. I field stripped it like my real glock. It was eerily similar. I am afraid of my kid getting shot waving one of these around.

 

[Turbocharged]

The kid was acting like a moron, and the parents clearly trust their son too much.
You have to be 18 to buy an airsoft/bb/paintball gun from the store anyway.
Although he could have bought it from a friend.
Plenty of dumb to go around.

 

[Martlet]

The kid was an idiot. The charges are equally idiotic. Assault? Sure. However, he shot them with a toy which is primarily used to shoot people.

They shouldn't be banned. They shouldn't be regulated. We shouldn't have a "federal license".

Some comments just amaze me. We should just take children from their parents at birth so the State can raise them.

 

[theGringo]

A couple of years ago we had a kid bring an airsoft pistol to school on the bus. He was a 5th grader. He did this on two consecutive days, and showed the piece off on the bus. On the second day, he was dimed out.

He was a troubled kid who was looking for attention. I actually liked the kid.

We got a memo from the Principal about a kid bringing a "gun" to school. Naturally, I spoke to the Principal for clarification (maybe I could buy it off her if it was still in her desk drawer). Turned out it was an airsoft. [sad2]

I explained that my kid has airsoft stuff, too. It's not something you should describe to staff as a "gun" without further qualification, I explained. Still, you don't bring that stuff to school. You just don't.

The kid took a 5-day suspension and was banned from the bus for the rest of the year.

Good thing he didn't shoot it at anyone or things would have turned out worse for him.

 

[2/1Marine]

This pisses me off to no end, my step daughter goes to school there and we didnlt hear about this until it was on the news today. So much for keeping parents in the loop. Maybe some of my tax money should have gone towards something other than a 200 million dollar high school.

 

[Martlet]

This pisses me off to no end, my step daughter goes to school there and we didnlt hear about this until it was on the news today. So much for keeping parents in the loop. Maybe some of my tax money should have gone towards something other than a 200 million dollar high school.

You're upset because the school didn't personally call you to tell you a kid shot unrelated kids at the bus stop with an airsoft pistol? Good thing he didn't have a rubber band gun.

 

[2/1Marine]

You're upset because the school didn't personally call you to tell you a kid shot unrelated kids at the bus stop with an airsoft pistol? Good thing he didn't have a rubber band gun.

I'm not pissed because they did not call me. I just don't understand how something like this can happen on a Friday and parents don't find out about it until on a Tuesday and from the news. "However, the school’s principal, Gina Healy e-mailed parents to inform them of what she called a “disturbing incident.” I never got an e-mail about this, but I remember recieving almost daily calls due to the swine flu last spring from the school informing us of whats going on. I personaly think the kid who did this is a #$%^&*bag and so are his/her parents for letting this happen. You can say what you want about it being an airsoft gun but maybe next time it will be a pellet gun or one of his parents firearms. The kid obviously has no concept of right and wrong or safe and unsafe.

 

[Martlet]

IYou can say what you want about it being an airsoft gun but maybe next time it will be a pellet gun or one of his parents firearms. The obviously has no concept of right and wrong or safe and unsafe.

Or a grenade launcher or a stinger missile. It was an airsoft pistol. Maybe he has no concept of right or wrong. Maybe he has no concept of safe and unsafe. There is nothing exceptionally unsafe about shooting someone with an airsoft rifle beyond the beating it may earn you.

 

[Kalahari]

Lots of kids in Newton own them. I owned them. The cops told us to just take 'em to an abandoned property and shoot them there. We did. No problems.

I'm actually surprised they're filing charges. Usually the schools do whatever they can do protect the kids from legal messes.

 

[2/1Marine]

Or a grenade launcher or a stinger missile. It was an airsoft pistol. Maybe he has no concept of right or wrong. Maybe he has no concept of safe and unsafe. There is nothing exceptionally unsafe about shooting someone with an airsoft rifle beyond the beating it may earn you.

Point well taken and BTW if his parents have grenade launchers or stinger missiles I would like to be adopted and become the positive role model this kid desperately needs.

 

[theGringo]

Or a grenade launcher or a stinger missile. It was an airsoft pistol. Maybe he has no concept of right or wrong. Maybe he has no concept of safe and unsafe. There is nothing exceptionally unsafe about shooting someone with an airsoft rifle beyond the beating it may earn you.

Yeah. It's all fun and games. UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES AN EYE!

 

[Kalahari]

Or a grenade launcher or a stinger missile. It was an airsoft pistol. Maybe he has no concept of right or wrong. Maybe he has no concept of safe and unsafe. There is nothing exceptionally unsafe about shooting someone with an airsoft rifle beyond the beating it may earn you.

I agree with your sentiment completely, but there are countless stories of people with permanent eye damage thanks to airsoft guns.

 

[Martlet]

I agree with your sentiment completely, but there are countless stories of people with permanent eye damage thanks to airsoft guns.

I understand. I've already stated he was a moron. That doesn't raise the seriousness of the event, though. According to the AAO, in 2005 "toys and games" come in at number 7 in the top 10 list of eye injury causes. People don't get wound up when the school doesn't call about the presence of the preceding 6 because they don't have "gun" in their name.

 

[Martlet]

Point well taken and BTW if his parents have grenade launchers or stinger missiles I would like to be adopted and become the positive role model this kid desperately needs.

I'm next!

 

[Danrk6]

I agree with your sentiment completely, but there are countless stories of people with permanent eye damage thanks to airsoft guns.

But on the other hand, same can be said for just about any other object in the room you are currently sitting

 

[delgrifith]

Yeah. It's all fun and games. UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES AN EYE!

Imagine if he was able to shoot off semunition rounds. Now those sting a bit.

 

[Kalahari]

I understand. I've already stated he was a moron. That doesn't raise the seriousness of the event, though. According to the AAO, in 2005 "toys and games" come in at number 7 in the top 10 list of eye injury causes. People don't get wound up when the school doesn't call about the presence of the preceding 6 because they don't have "gun" in their name.

Of course. I only wanted to make sure that there wasn't a misunderstanding of how strong some of these airsoft guns really are.

But on the other hand, same can be said for just about any other object in the room you are currently sitting

You're right, my only point was to make sure that an airsoft gun wasn't equated with a water gun or something.

 

[Kalahari]

jesus. who died and made you queen of the pantywad liberals. i thought you were cool at the nh shoot, now you're on my ignore list.

Mighty big assumption on my choice of underwear

 

[Danrk6]

You're right, my only point was to make sure that an airsoft gun wasn't equated with a water gun or something.

Was just giving you a hard time . The airsoft gun in question in this particular incident shoots around 260 fps (when it leaves the muzzle) and slows down very quickly because the plastic bb has very little mass (.12 grams). I agree there are some that are much stronger such as the M4 I posted which is capable of shooting at 400 fps with a slightly heavier bb (.2 grams). We just have to remember what was actually used and not what COULD have been used.

Dan

 

[mikem317]

I agree with your sentiment completely, but there are countless stories of people with permanent eye damage thanks to airsoft guns.

I think you need to edit this post, Kalahari.

Airsoft guns don't cause eye injuries. Kids in Newton cause eye injuries.

In all seriousness, if we can put this at the feet of Airsoft guns, then we can also blame forks for fat people and lighters for causing lung cancer.

 

[Kalahari]

Was just giving you a hard time . The airsoft gun in question in this particular incident shoots around 260 fps (when it leaves the muzzle) and slows down very quickly because the plastic bb has very little mass (.12 grams). I agree there are some that are much stronger such as the M4 I posted which is capable of shooting at 400 fps with a slightly heavier bb (.2 grams). We just have to remember what was actually used and not what COULD have been used.

Dan

Buddy of mine had one of those L96 look-a-likes that shot 550 FPS with .25s. He wasn't fun to play with

I think you need to edit this post, Kalahari.

Airsoft guns don't cause eye injuries. Kids in Newton cause eye injuries.

Why do you think I left the town!

 

[vellnueve]

Personally, I really dislike the airsoft replica guns. Sure they have the orange tip, but these are easily removed, and if some idiot points an authentic-looking toy gun at some unsuspecting shop keeper the results may not be good.

So? The dumb get weeded out.

I have been shot by all sorts of those airsoft pistols, you barely feel them through clothing. What the boy did was wrong but labeling the airsoft gun a dangerous weapon is a bit much.

I'm not sure you've seen a real airsoft gun then.

Precident tells us that using a fake weapon to assault someone carries the same penalties as using the real thing. What this kid did was wrong and should be punished severely. This is kinds of disturbing, too, that he would have the inclination to shoot people. I also agree that the parents should be beaten with a cinderblock.

I firmly believe that the penalties should be the same.

I am 100% for the 2A
I am 100% for it being a fed issue license
I am 100% for it being "shall" and not "may"

BUT

because someone not fit to own a real gun can get their hands on something that looks 99% like the real thing, I am 100% AGAINST these things being made to look just like the real thing and sold at department stores.

Are you f***ing kidding me? A license to own an airsoft gun? Not allowing them to be sold in stores? Baaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.