The Washington Post ran an article last Sunday on an encounter by a bunch of kids who broke into their school to play airsoft, and sheriff’s deputies with real guns.
Some parents say the guns are fairly harmless, especially with safety goggles and supervision, just a step beyond laser tag and Nerf guns, a less-expensive and cleaner cousin to paintball. Officials at a major airsoft importer said that safety should be a priority and that the guns are marketed for adults.
Some parents think it’s harmless to give their kids pot and throw boozer parties for the kids and kids’ friends too. I do not advocate banning airsoft guns, as many do, but they aren’t toys, and parents that let their kids run around the neighborhood with them are stupid.
As for Airsoft the game, I have no problem with it if it’s done at a field designated for it, and the proper safety equipment is used. I’ve done paintball before, and it’s fun. But I can’t help but wonder whether it would be better for kids to have exposure to the shooting sports, rather than airsoft, so that they can learn that the firearms they see in video games aren’t toys to be played with.