With this year’s holiday season fast approaching, many parents and individuals will be looking to buy airsoft guns for their children and friends. The sport of airsoft can be a fun and exiting hobby demanding strategy, team work, quick thinking and the ability to adapt to different situations; however it is all too often that the excitement gets in the way of common sense. In fact it is not unheard of for people who have been playing for years start taking even more risks while simultaneously convincing others that they know what they’re doing. This can lead to injuries both serious and minor which while being very inconvenient at best are also quite costly in terms of time lost from school or work as well as doctors visits or hospital stays. In order to help prevent accidents from happening, it is important for everyone to understand common sense safety protocols. These can be found both in stores and online just by doing a simple search for them. For the most part they are pretty standard rules which have been put in place after reviewing recent accidents and can be summarized as follows:
-Always assume that a gun is loaded until you personally have checked it to know otherwise. Even if you check a gun 3 times or 10 times, there is always a chance that you could accidentally load another bb into the chamber without knowing it. Don’t take other people’s word that the gun is clear either because they may not know what they’re talking about (and thus this could lead to problems).
-Never point your airsoft gun at anyone or anything that you don’t intend to shoot. The same would go for moving around with the barrel facing your backside, floors, ceilings, windows and any other people around you. All it takes is one bb to get lodged in an eye or worse yet a small child’s toy to be picked up by someone playing outside while looking through a window resulting in severe injury!
-Don’t buy airsoft guns with metal parts such as magazines because they can leave bruises if hit against another player (but most importantly break teeth very easily). Standard plastic ones used on most guns are better unless of course your looking for some realistic looking props. A lot of players use them just because there is no risk involved and they’re easier to find replacements for when they break.
-Do not under any circumstances put anything into an airsoft gun or attempt to modify it in any way that could cause the gun to shoot faster, harder or further then designed to do so. This includes things like adding tape around the barrel, sawing down guns for “shorties”, gluing parts together and even sticking bbs in backwards (yes this has happened before). Not only is this illegal in most states but it can lead to major injury especially if you are trying perform any kind of test fire which often times end up resulting in broken teeth, broken bones, scrapes/cuts/bruises and much more. People who modify their airsoft guns are taking a risk that not only endangers themselves but can lead to a permanent injury or death.
-Don’t shoot at people’s feet, legs, arms etc. unless you are 100% sure that what you hit them with won’t injure them (unless they were actively playing in which case things like shots to the arm or leg will often get ignored). The main areas of concern should be the upper chest and head because if they happen to take a bb right in one of those areas, it can cause some serious problems. You want people to still come back so don’t risk it by shooting them in lower extremities for no reason.
-When in public places such as schools, malls, theaters etc., always be aware of your surroundings. If someone were to accidentally shoot another person with an airsoft gun, the resulting confusion could lead to panic and potentially cause you or others around you harm. You never want that to happen so it is important that you take what responsibility lies upon your shoulders before something bad happens rather than after.
-Don’t immediately go for cover without looking first because of the fact that there are two types of players out there – those who can shoot well enough to avoid exposing themselves entirely and thus be able to hit people while they’re running away (the smarter ones) and those who will stand up on some form of higher ground (a hill, building etc.) and try shooting downwards at everyone else on flat ground (the majority). The smart ones will stay low and shoot you while the others will only get on higher ground which means their shots will be inaccurate and they’ll be more likely to miss.
-When running around with an airsoft gun, if someone jumps out from behind a corner or building even though you didn’t see them do it, keep in mind that there is a very good chance of them having an airsoft gun as well. If you come face to face with one just assume they’re going to try shooting at you unless they say otherwise (and most won’t). You would of course want to announce yourself first so that way people know not to shoot back but more often than not, everyone panics so it is actually better off for your own safety by assuming the worst.
-If someone does pull an airsoft gun on you while playing in the same game, immediately drop your weapon if you are carrying one. Your opponent wants to win the battle by outsmarting their opponent so there is no reason for them to kill you if they can get what they want by having you give it up yourself without any resistance. If they shoot at your feet or something like that just take it because even though it does hurt a little bit, they’re not trying to cause any permanent damage and most likely had no bad intentions.
-When running around with an airsoft gun, if someone jumps out from behind a corner or building even though you didn’t see them do it, keep in mind that there is a very good chance of them having an airsoft gun as well. If you come face to face with one just assume they’re going to try shooting at you unless they say otherwise (and most won’t). You would of course want to announce yourself first so that way people know not to shoot back but more often than not, everyone panics so it is actually better off for your own safety by assuming the worst.
-If someone does pull an airsoft gun on you while playing in the same game, immediately drop your weapon if you are carrying one. Your opponent wants to win the battle by outsmarting their opponent so there is no reason for them to kill you if they can get what they want by having you give it up yourself without any resistance. If they shoot at your feet or something like that just take it because even though it does hurt a little bit, they’re not trying to cause any permanent damage and most likely had no bad intentions.
-If someone asks you for help or directions check their gear before immediately trusting them since there are some people out there who will just use an airsoft gun as an excuse to act sketchy in order to get close enough so that they can do something illegal (such as stealing). You wouldn’t want somebody like that following you around the mall right? So look before you leap… both figuratively and literally.
-When in public places such as schools, malls, theaters etc., always be aware of your surroundings and the people around you. Never look like a target since if someone were to try and rob or harm you, they’d want you to make it as easy as possible. If there is an armed police officer nearby who might be able to stop them from shooting at you, acting too careless would make things worse by giving a bad guy a reason to shoot first before asking questions later.
-Never underestimate how dangerous airsoft guns can be since even though they are not capable of shooting metal BBs or some other projectile that will puncture your skin, getting hit with one at close range can still do some serious damage! I know because I’ve been hit pretty close up and also got shot in the back while trying to help somebody else during a game.
-Don’t ever think that your airsoft gun is not real or wasn’t real because you can still get hurt even if it looks fake. Airsoft guns are not toys so always use them responsibly and be very careful since they do have the potential to harm somebody.