10/22/17 | by Elizabeth
If you follow the news, you’ll notice that right after the Las Vegas mass shooting event the entire focus is set on gun control laws. It’s like our lawmakers don’t have anything else to do besides working on a law that will forever ban anything resembling a gun from American soil!
However, because the citizens understand the danger that’s rising right now, we are stuck in an endless debate and there is a constant verbal fight between two factions: those who want guns to be banned and those who don’t.
And yes, while I agree that not everyone should be allowed to carry a gun, I can’t fully agree with gun banning from our country. After all, America’s history is based on the use of guns. Even more, some of the best gunsmiths in the world were born and raised on American soil. And, the Constitution gives us the freedom to own guns for our own protection and for the protection of our ways of life.
However, besides the quarrel between these two factions, another current is on the rise. This one features a plethora of radical ideas in regards to weapons, and one of the most disturbing thoughts is the ban on air soft guns. I personally find this to be an overreaction to our gun violence problem, but in the interest of debate, let’s take a look and check their arguments.
#1: Air soft Guns are very realistic
This is a valid argument and, if you take a look at goog gun, you’ll see why. Today’s air soft weapons are far away from children’s toys we imagine. They come with metallic bodies, full-length barrels, and lots of power. Producers try to create extremely realistic replicas of the real guns and the result can be seen in air soft guns that, from a distance, look like real guns (if you remove the orange tip).
Even more, an air soft gun that is well-designed can feel like a real gun. It feels good in your hands and offers the same texture and grip as a real one. However, the comparison stops here. Air soft guns use plastic pellets as ammo and, even though they can shoot at 450+FPS, these won’t inflict any fatal wounds.
Yes, it is required to wear protective gear on the field, but this doesn’t mean you will be in mortal danger while playing with these weapons.
#2: It is a Violent Game
All I can say is that, someone who makes this argument has evidently never played airsoft. This is a war game where tactics and strategy are held in high regard. Each team is well organized and every player knows his role.
The main purpose of the game is to defeat the enemy team by outsmarting them in military strategies, not by clubbing them with the airsoft weapons.
And finally, airsoft is a game that builds character and teaches teamwork. It’s a game where you learn about focus and patience, and leaders learn how to care for their team. Companies everywhere send their employees to play air soft as a team building exercise, so you can’t actually say this is a game that will teach kids gun violence.
#3: Kids can be Easily Influenced
There are parents who fear their kids will become cold-blooded killers if they get into an air soft game or buy an air soft rifle. Still, if we follow the same reasoning, we shouldn’t allow kids to play video games, watch TV or movies.
Violence is everywhere, but children need to understand that there is a correct way to reply. Through education we will manage to help out kids understand the responsibility that falls on your shoulders when you hold a firearm. That’s why I think it is best to send them to a gun club, where they can learn how to use a gun correctly, instead of trying to hide them from the real world!