Airsoft guns in Orlando

[Vaughn4380]

Just ask the teens that were having an airsoft war in the open space behind their houses and had the swat team come out and shut them down.

Just curious, what state do you live in?

I am on the "SWAT" team here and we have never been called out for airsoft.

ETA: Technically it is called the Critical Response Team here, SWAT is a term that is being phased out in most jurisdictions as the emphasis on "weapons and tactics" is being replaced with an emphasis on properly responding to the situation, preferably without the need to actually use said weapons.

 

[Vaughn4380]

Those plastic pellets can hurt and can leave a welt. Long pants and long sleeves can provide protection, but they will just make an already sweltering day even worse. My son always wore shorts and just sucked it up, but you need to be prepared for some welts if you go that route.

These places encourage you to shoot at each other?

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Are some people talking about paint ball?

 

[Ceila]

These places encourage you to shoot at each other?

Yes, it's like paintball. Although, my son says that getting hit with a paintball hurts much more than an airsoft BB.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Yes, it's like paintball. Although, my son says that getting hit with a paintball hurts much more than an airsoft BB.

Isn't there a danger of penetration with an airsoft? I've never shot one so I don't know but I'd imagine that might not end well in some instances.

 

[Vaughn4380]

Yes, it's like paintball. Although, my son says that getting hit with a paintball hurts much more than an airsoft BB.

Interesting, while I love airsoft products and encourage their use, I am going to go against the grain and recommend the OP not go anywhere that has your kids shooting anything (paintball or airsoft) at other humans. I just don't see any good from it. And while I have never heard of an injury from airsoft, I have seen injuries from paintball and regular BB guns that could have been prevented had they not been purposely aimed at other individuals, even with the safety gear.

This is my opinion and I know others will disagree.

 

[LynnTH]

DS16 has a few of these as do many of his friends. When we bought them the store went over all the rules on these for our city. (We are in MN). Cannot be used in neighborhoods or anywhere in public. The boys only use them in a wooded area by our house. And they all must have eye masks on and most of them are in sweats and sweatshirts. They don't even carry them around the neighborhood. They keep them in a backpack until they get to the woods.

 

[Vaughn4380]

Isn't there a danger of penetration with an airsoft? I've never shot one so I don't know but I'd imagine that might not end well in some instances.

Very, very, very slim chance. But still a chance. The airsoft guns are lower velocity than a regular BB gun, and the projectiles are rubber/plastic so there is not as much mass to them. At 15 feet, some airsoft guns will not go through a paper target. But why risk it.

ETA: With paintball you wear some serious face mask and protective gear to reduce (not eliminate) the chance of injury.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Very, very, very slim chance. But still a chance. The airsoft guns are lower velocity than a regular BB gun, and the projectiles are rubber/plastic so there is not as much mass to them. At 15 feet, some airsoft guns will not go through a paper target. But why risk it.

ETA: With paintball you wear some serious face mask and protective gear to reduce (not eliminate) the chance of injury.

Oh, okay. I was going back to my days as a kid with a bb gun pistol and thought it was similar. Good to hear it's not.

 

[Hrhpd]

Just curious, what state do you live in?

I am on the "SWAT" team here and we have never been called out for airsoft.

ETA: Technically it is called the Critical Response Team here, SWAT is a term that is being phased out in most jurisdictions as the emphasis on "weapons and tactics" is being replaced with an emphasis on properly responding to the situation, preferably without the need to actually use said weapons.

I no longer live there, but this happened in Boulder, CO about 10 years ago. Open space greenbelts behind houses are very common. There were a bunch of teens (several of my son's friends) in the open space having an airsoft war. A neighbor saw a bunch of large "men" dressed all in black hiding behind trees with guns. 10 years ago they were locally referred to as the SWAT team and they were sent out. It was very lucky none of the boys were shot.

If you google it (I was trying to find the article about the incident in our neighborhood), I was surprised to find that it is not uncommon for a SWAT team to be called out for kids with airsoft guns.

 

[LisaR]

Are some people talking about paint ball?

These places encourage you to shoot at each other?

My son has done both. Paintball hurts way more than airsoft. But yes, the airsoft and paintball places both require shooting at people. My son has been to both many, many times. There's an airsoft group that meets every Saturday near the Orlando airport (they used to, my son hasn't done it in a few years so it may have changed). They were divided into teams and worked their way through abandon buildings trying to capture the flag. They even used flash bangs. There were all ages from probably as young as five to sixty year olds. A lot of dads would go with their kids. There were a few girls who would come, but the vast majority were males. I bet there were a minimum of 150 people who would show up each weekend.

 

[Vaughn4380]

A neighbor saw a bunch of large "men" dressed all in black hiding behind trees with guns.

Gotcha, Every jurisdiction is different in how they implement responses to calls like this. I can only speak to where I have worked, but we respond immediately with patrol officers, who then assess and report on the situation. In this case the officers would have found kids, not a North Korean hit squad, and alerted dispatch so SWAT/CRT would have never been called. But again, every jurisdiction is different.

 

[deedeetoo]

My son (age 14) and his friends play with airsoft guns in the woods behind our home. I have never heard of a restriction on buying them. We usually get his on-line and have never run into an issue. I do worry sometimes about people mistaking them for real guns. Our neighborhood is pretty small and everyone knows everyone else so I am not worried about a neighbor thinking something may be going on, but I do worry that a random contractor or something could get freaked out. I tell my son to only use them in the back of the house for this reason.

 

[Ceila]

Isn't there a danger of penetration with an airsoft? I've never shot one so I don't know but I'd imagine that might not end well in some instances.

My son only plays at actual airsoft places. Some are outdoor, some indoor. All require goggles and face protection, at least for youth. We also make sure that his ears are covered. He's never played in our backyard or neighborhood.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

LOL, I just texted my Cousin who lives in New Jersey and he had no idea his airsoft guns required a firearm owners license. Technically he is a felon under state law. He doesn't even own a "real" gun. Now he is freaking out.

ETA: He lets his 16 year old son keep his airsoft rifle in his room and use it in the backyard all the time. Technically, that is two additional felonies.

If that's really the case, he should be concerned. NJ is notorious about being completely nonsensical when it comes to enforcement of firearms laws.

 

[Kies99]

In my municipality (suburb of Pittsburgh), there are regulations regarding airsoft guns. Basically if the standard power is below a certain FPS (feet per second) rating it's okay. If it's over then it's not okay. What it worked out to is that the spring powered guns were mostly okay, but the electric and gas were not. The regulation ONLY REFERRED TO SHOOTING THEM in the town limits. They are perfectly legal to buy and own in any FPS.

 

[Vaughn4380]

If that's really the case, he should be concerned. NJ is notorious about being completely nonsensical when it comes to enforcement of firearms laws.

It is, we both just found out today about the license and age requirements for NJ. He texted his wife and told her to lock the airsoft guns in their closet so their son can't use them. He plans to contact the local police to apply for whatever license he needs to own it after work today. I guess his son can't get the license until he is 18, so no more airsoft for him (witch I suspect was the plan for the NJ politicians).

Sad state of affairs for a toy. But at least the police weren't involved.

 

[robinb]

Would the OP even be able to bring the airsoft gun home with Australia's strict gun control laws?

According to Wiki (yes, I know!) she may not be able to bring it home depending on the velocity of the gun, the appearance of the gun or the OP's gun license status: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_issues_in_airsoft#Australia

 

[Ceila]

It is, we both just found out today about the license and age requirements for NJ. He texted his wife and told her to lock the airsoft guns in their closet so their son can't use them. He plans to contact the local police to apply for whatever license he needs to own it after work today. I guess his son can't get the license until he is 18, so no more airsoft for him (witch I suspect was the plan for the NJ politicians).

Sad state of affairs for a toy. But at least the police weren't involved.

Doing some reading, it looks like a minor is allowed to have temporary possession of a firearm under certain circumstances, so he may not have to give it up. I'm sure their local police department can help get them the correct information.

 

[LisaR]

Would the OP even be able to bring the airsoft gun home with Australia's strict gun control laws?

According to Wiki (yes, I know!) she may not be able to bring it home depending on the velocity of the gun, the appearance of the gun or the OP's gun license status: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_issues_in_airsoft#Australia

That's why I agree with going to one of the many indoor or outdoor venues that hold airsoft meets. They almost always rent equipment so her son can have some fun and be done with it. No need to attempt to bring the gun home or throw out a brand new gun that was used once.