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THIS MADE ME MAD! Read this...

This here, is the reason why Airsoft is frowned upon in some states. This is from the Tennessee Airsoft Forum. tnairsoft.com and when I saw this, it made me mad. Read this...

"""i was wondering, since im such an avid gun and knife collector, since people use bayonets, if i put a blade blocker on my 9" knife and safety rig it to my vest (in the sheath) as a prop, along with my black powder shot dummy grenade, is that legal or r most fields still going to say no becuz its a weapon and etc etc....?

my friends (who own 700 fps snipers and full metal SAWs that weigh 27 lbs who live breath and eat airsoft all the time every time) , say its alright but i dont wanna go getting arrested for possesion of a deadly weapon in public view, then again, my rather intimidating, realistic looking loadout would look rather menacing anywho.....hmm

btw my new knife i keep talking about is an m200 SOG mil spec Sealpup knive used by the navy seals (well a "carbine" version any way)"""

Idiots like this, who are wanting to carry a real knife(I don't care if it has something like a "blade blocker" on it) onto a field, are going to get the sport taken away in my state. They argue about the legalities of carrying a knife like that. The law in Tennessee is Four Inches. Hunting and fishing are exceptions, but they are trying to say that Airsoft is a sport (And it is) so it should fall under the exception, but that would mean that the state would have to consider it a sport too, and I highly doubt that, if a police officer sees someone carrying one, and the only excuse is, "I use it to play Airsoft" It's going to give some bad plabicity.

What do you guys think...

Tags: airsoft, idiots, knife, tennessee

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Raine on August 31, 2008 at 10:45am: well, I personaly feel that guy should not breed. just my opinion. Frankly, I wouldnt alow him on a course with it because it is illegal--thats why they make the rubber knives that you can use in airsoft. The black powder dummy gernade probably isnt legal on any course in the states period.

Permalink Reply by BoyScout on August 31, 2008 at 11:02am: My suggestion on this is to have them check with their local fields for established rules already posted.

I know many places do not allow you to carry any real steel fire arm or Knife on the field what so ever, as it can be a safety concern for all.

If this gent wants to carry his knife tell him to find a replica training knife. there are many available made of plastic look like the real thing but many fields dont mind them on your gear. But as a general rule of thumb. Carrying real steel on your gear is a no no in a skirmish or op.

Permalink Reply by Saint on August 31, 2008 at 12:31pm: They made some good points about checking with the field, but the problem with where I live, there is alot of backyard playing. (In Tennessee, backyard can run for 200 acres) and if they were to get seen playing with a real steel knife, it'd get thrown all over the news, and we'd be called everything from potential murderers or worse, the game could get outlawed because some kid wants a knife on his gear. I've heard of these practiceknifes, and thought about getting one, but a real knife shouldn't be used...

Permalink Reply by Firedog on August 31, 2008 at 5:52pm: I to have a small "backyard" practice field for my team local law prevails.We wouldn't even think of any thing other than a pocket knife or plastic. Also informing the folks around the area that you are practicing is a good idea

Permalink Reply by Tank on September 1, 2008 at 12:47am: of course i agree w/ the no real steel rules in palce and discussed earlier. but if the knife fight is ur thing, there is a solution. its very inexpensive and safe. go to the toy section in walmart and by a little rubber toy "knife". we use thses to play cause it adds a bit more depth into the game, and its really cool when u can pull off a knife kill. the one i have was $2. its handle is camo, and most of all, its blade easily bends when pressure is applied, therefore no one gets hurt. WOW!!!! Now come on dude, that cant be a hard concept to grasp. ppl in this example are ones that we consider STUPID!!!!

Permalink Reply by Saint on September 1, 2008 at 7:13am: Exactly. And if he wants to be more relistic, they sell practice knifes on the internet for pretty cheap. (I've not actually priced one, but my friend has told me constantly they are cheap)

Permalink Reply by Ripper on September 2, 2008 at 7:15am: I play mostly mil-sim/historical airsoft and real knives,bayonets, kevlar body armor,dummy grenades etc are all very common. They are just part of the equipment that a real soldier or marine carries so the people I game with do not consider it abnormal. For us, a knife or bayonet is a handy tool to have in the field. Try cutting foliage for camoflage with a rubber knife. The difference is the required maturity level of the players attending these games. Many are ex-military and the younger guys are moving in that direction. We also DO NOT play anywhere near the uninformed public. However, the people that live near our primary field are used to seeing privately owned military vehicles driving in and out and we have had a National Guard Apache land on our prepared LZ at one game. The style of play is vastly different from what many guys on this board think of when they think of airsoft. we approach airsoft as a hobby and not a sport. For us, it's all about the guns, the gear and the camraderie of like minded individuals. Once you have played in a game with 150 or more players all dressed in historcaly correct and matching uniforms, with period correct AEG's and equipment you will see the difference.

Permalink Reply by Saint on September 2, 2008 at 2:23pm: That makes since... Taking it as more of a re-enactment than anything else, but the kid isn't playing in a re enactment. He's playing with other kids on probably a paintball course that switches around... I don't think he should use one, but I'm not against the way you use it... It's different in a sense... I can understand why you and your friends would use it.

Permalink Reply by Bigrik on September 6, 2008 at 2:50pm: I am a moderator on TNAirsoft, as well as a fellow TN player and game organizer. I know the person in quesiton from the site, and he is young and in a lot of cases ignorant. However, if youve never played in TN, you may not understand why a lot of us carry knives into the field. Snakes, and thick brush are obstacles often stumbled across in woodland areas in TN. I personally carry a knife, but its either in my pack, or rigged behind my pouches. Its never drawn unless its absolutely neccessary to assist in my advance or defend myself from snake bite. I carry a rubber blade for saftey kills openly. If the field owners allow knives to be carried, then i see no issue with it, but ultimately its the field owners decision.

Carrying a knife isnt going to ruin airsoft. People with no sense are whats going to ruin airsoft. Would i feel comfortable with this kid in possession of a weapon on his gear that could be lethal, probably not. But it boils down to the person, their knowledge of that weapon, and their purpose for carrying it. I dont agree that carrying it should be for prop purposes or to achieve a look. I carry one for use, and it does get used. If players have issue with this, they will have to learn to deal. I guess a lot of factors effect it, but in TN there have been multiple incidents with kids point airsoft guns at the police, which is far more detrimental to the sport than carrying a knife onto the field.

Biggest issue is that in TN its illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase an airsoft gun, unfortunaltely there are no laws in place that prevents their use by people under 18 with or without adult supervision. Im not implying kids shouldnt play, but they should learn to be responsible or have supervison and that person responsible for them. I work in law enforcement, the chances of any police stumbling into a backyard game are few and far between. If they are brandishing it in public, they will be stopped, investigated, and possibly cited. Thats the risk they take. We as responsible players bear a responsibility to educate the younger players. TN passed a law earlier this year banning the sales of airsoft replicas to anyone under age 18. Until then it was a retailers decision. Eventually it may come down to banning airsoft to anyone under 18, but they wont ban airsoft all together. There are too many law enforcment, and military people, as well as private citizen who wouldnt allow that vote to pass. If it comes down to 18 and under being barred from using or playing, it would be sad, but it would also come from years of incidents all over the country, and the inability of some youth to act and behave responsibly. No one to blame but ourselves.

I can say due to incidents in our area with the blatant immaturity of the younger players, most of whom we have tried to educate on the proper and honorable way to play and behave, we as organizers are highly considering restricting open games to players 16 and over, and only allow players ages 16 to 18 to play WITH a parent or guardian. From an organziers standpoint you can imagine the amount of BS we deal with trying to get new kids to call hits, play properly, and more. We even have gone to an extent to offer training days for new players who rarely bother attending. We have a great group of players in my area, and we have a lot of new, in-experienced players who seem to screw it up.

Permalink Reply by Saint on September 7, 2008 at 4:40pm: I am actually from Tennessee, so I know where you are coming from with the snake ordeal, but the fact that people who are immature do carry knives is the problem. If it was a set rule, that no one carried a blade over the legal carrying limits, then it would keep the guns out of the hands of the inexperienced. (Or, at least put an age restriction on carrying the knife) I myself, am only fifteen, but am fixing to turn sixteen, and am playing with alot of people in my age group. Most of my team have never played in an "actual" game but I am teaching them basic safety that I've pulled from other people on other sites to make sure that they are playing responsibly. I know about the situations with kids drawing on police officers (My dad is an active duty police officer for The City of Erwin Police Dept.) and that is part of the reason why I found this bad. If they are carrying real knives and real-looking guns, it will put our sport at risk. I'm not saying this kid is running down the street shooting people and waving the knife in the air, but I am afraid if you let people carry such knives, it will end up in the hands of someone who would...

Permalink Reply by 7 Element on September 16, 2008 at 9:40am: I agree that any real Knife or weapon on any kind or field needs to be prohibited. This is the very reason how accidents happen. There is no reason or need to have a real knife on the field. If you have to have it leave it in the car or the tent not past the go line. The training knife idea that Arthur had was a perfect idea, you will get the same look as the real thing.

Permalink Reply by Saint on September 16, 2008 at 2:10pm: Agreed. I think that the practice knife is the best way to go for realism... not the real thing.