{"id":464,"date":"2014-12-19T20:12:14","date_gmt":"2014-12-20T02:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conservativelefty.wordpress.com\/?p=464"},"modified":"2014-12-19T20:12:14","modified_gmt":"2014-12-20T02:12:14","slug":"thoughts-on-not-toy-guns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.conservativelefty.com\/wp\/?p=464","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts On (not) Toy Guns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_0105\"<\/a>I had been planning to write about this concerning the recent events in Ohio, and then I ran across this story: \u00a0New York attorney general to retailers: stop selling guns that look real | Fox Business<\/a>. \u00a0I decided this really can’t wait. \u00a0This will finish up a week heavy with gun advocacy news.\"IMG_0896\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a little test. \u00a0Which of these young men shooting is using the real gun? \u00a0I’ll answer that at the end of this article.<\/p>\n

Let me say – and this may surprise some people – I agree with the Attorney General. \u00a0In today’s world, toy guns<\/em><\/span> should not be mistaken for real guns. \u00a0The laws for the orange markings should absolutely be followed. \u00a0I am also going to add that I am speaking as both someone who – and who’s family – enjoys shooting and as a Cub Scout BB gun instructor.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, beyond that point, Schneiderman pretty much gets everything wrong. \u00a0Obviously, his argument is based on the Cleveland, Ohio shooting of a child with an airsoft gun. \u00a0I’m certain that the AG has his heart in the right place, but he and far too many parents are seriously mistaken about airsoft and BB guns. \u00a0To put it simply:<\/p>\n

They. \u00a0Are. \u00a0Not. \u00a0Toys!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Let me say that again, neither BB\/pellet guns or airsoft guns are toys. \u00a0They may not be\u00a0firearms<\/em> according to the definition used by the BATF, but they\u00a0are<\/em> guns.<\/p>\n

Let’s talk BB\/pellet guns first. \u00a0I know several people who hunt with with them or use them for pest control. \u00a0Some pellet guns shoot with velocities exceeding a .22LR (though the projectile is much lighter) and they can – and have – kill a child<\/a>. \u00a0Even the low-powered, 300 feet-per-second guns intended for children will break skin, cause serious injury and can even kill small game.<\/p>\n

Think of it this way, both BB guns and airsoft guns are found in the sporting goods sections of stores here in the U.S., either with or near the standard firearms. \u00a0You have to be over 18 to buy them. \u00a0In some States, the more powerful guns even require a Federal Firearms License (FFL) in order to sell them. \u00a0Most State natural resource departments take them into account in their hunting seasons and rules.<\/p>\n

Having said that, I also think there is no problem\u00a0at all<\/em> with allowing children to have a BB gun. \u00a0I consider shooting a life-skill, the same as swimming, cooking or laundry. \u00a0Not only is shooting useful and fun, but all of the skills you learn on a BB gun transfer right over to a gunpowder run firearm. \u00a0When I am teaching BB guns to Cub Scouts, I am teaching the same rules as for firearms. \u00a0I’m teaching the same discipline and techniques used with\u00a0firearms to shoot correctly and hit the target. \u00a0More important, I am replacing the unreasonable fear of guns taught by many schools with the healthy and proper respect that they deserve.<\/p>\n

Whether it’s a lever action Red Ryder or a break action Gamo, these guns do not have an orange tip. \u00a0The should not<\/del> must not have an orange tip. \u00a0They are real and we do not want them mistaken for toys. \u00a0Likewise, there really isn’t a practical way to make them look fake. \u00a0To do so is to try and make them something they are not. \u00a0In fact, I would argue that to make them look like a toy would create<\/em> a safety hazard.\u00a0 After all, they are not Nerf guns!<\/p>\n

\"Marine<\/a>This brings us to airsoft guns. \u00a0Most airsoft guns come with the orange muzzle tip, though it is frequently removable. \u00a0This is so they can be used effectively at airsoft fields in competition. \u00a0I have long had issues with those orange tips. \u00a0One the one hand, I completely understand why the manufacturers put them on from both a safety and liability perspective. \u00a0However, because of that orange tip, I’ve seen far too many parents as well as kids treat these guns as toys. \u00a0As a result, kids pick up rather sloppy and potentially dangerous habits in firearm handling.<\/p>\n

By treating them as toys, you lose the respect that a gun deserves. \u00a0I feel strongly enough about this issue that I would not allow my son to have an airsoft gun until he could handle the family .22.<\/p>\n

Remember, even airsofts are not toys. \u00a0You have to be 18 or older to buy them, though under 18 can own them. \u00a0My son’s airsoft rifle, at 325 feet per second can draw blood if it hits bare skin. \u00a0I use his airsoft guns to teach firearms safety and technique before I take a new shooter\u00a0to the range with the real firearms. \u00a0And by “real,<\/em>” I mean that it uses gunpowder to fire a bullet, not that the airsoft is fake. \u00a0He is expected to follow the same rules with his airsoft guns as he does when shooting\u00a0the family guns, except hearing protection is not required.<\/p>\n

Want\u00a0some\u00a0examples of how “real” an airsoft is? \u00a0Obviously, they are used by enthusiasts at airsoft fields for war games. \u00a0You are required to be covered and were proper face protection. \u00a0You gun has to be in good working order. \u00a0Airsoft is also used in police and military training exercises. \u00a0You\u00a0can also shoot airsoft both indoors and outdoors safely when we cannot make it to the range. \u00a0A target trap can be easily made with a box and newspaper with a blanket hung behind to protect the walls. \u00a0On a more practical side, I have a personal recent example.<\/p>\n

My son was tasked with hauling firewood in our back yard. \u00a0This was near our woods. \u00a0He had surprise encounter with one of the fox that ranges through our woods. \u00a0He needed to finish the job, but he neither wanted to get bitten nor did he want to hurt the fox. \u00a0He call\"airsofted me at work and got permission to carry his airsoft pistol in holster. \u00a0Have no doubt, while it would not kill or injure a fox, it\u00a0absolutely<\/em>\u00a0does\u00a0hurt enough to\u00a0run it off. \u00a0They are entirely suitable for non-lethal small vermin\/pest\u00a0control. \u00a0(Side note: I wouldn’t try it on a raccoon, though. \u00a0They have more mass than appears and they can be\u00a0nasty<\/em> tempered!)<\/p>\n

As I have said, even though I do not consider them toys, I\u00a0do<\/em> strongly support the idea of allowing children to have and use BB or airsoft guns. \u00a0Considering what I’ve said, though, I think it would be remiss to not provide a few thoughts on buying your son or daughter this type of gun.<\/p>\n

The most obvious question is how old should the child be? \u00a0That, of course, depends on the child. \u00a0If it’s a boy and he goes to camp as a Cub Scout, he will almost certainly be taught to shoot both BB gun and bow. \u00a0Those are probably the two most popular activities. \u00a0In this case, he may be as young as seven. \u00a0Realistically, consider whether he is responsible and is one to follow the rules doing things that can get one hurt. \u00a0One general guideline may be that if he is old enough to carry and use a pocket knife responsibly, then I would probably be comfortable with getting them a BB gun. \u00a0Again, it’s up to the parent to judge the maturity of the child.<\/p>\n

A second important thing is to teach them the rules of gun safety. \u00a0In Scouts, there are 3 rules. \u00a0These are the same rules used by the NRA \u00a0These are:<\/p>\n