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Airsoft anecdote

user2050

New member
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Messages
8
Location
Eastside of the Lake, ,
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Just thought I'd share an experience that recently happened to me. Apologies in advance if this is in the wrong sub forum.

I was walking across a street towards a building at the same time a motorcycle was leaving the sidewalk area of the building. The MC waited for me to getcloser to the side walkbefore they entered the road around me.

While this was happenning, a young girl, jumped out of a nearby car that was temporarily parked on the side of the road, and racked a slide of an airsoft pistol, and was taking aim at the departing MC. Then when the shooter couldn’t get a clear shot (don’ t know if it was because I was behind the target or not) they stopped aiming at the MC. Then they exclaimed disappointment that they hadn’t gotten a shot off at the MC.

I assumed that the youths were from the church’s youth group that used the facility, so had no reason to suspect thugs in the area. Also I didn’t feel alarmed at the sound of the racking (it sounds just like my plastic Airsoft), and while I was looking at it, I could see the red tip, so immediately I assumed it was airsoft.

These assumptions caused me not even to change my stride up onto the sidewalk and into the building. So much for raising my alert level. All I said to the young woman was that what she just did, could be considered brandishing, airsoft or not, and that brandishing a gun is illegal. And she said she wouldn’t do it again.

Obviously in this instance there were no repercussions but it makes me wonder about my alert level.

No I was not carrying at the time.

Have others experienced similiar airsoft hits? How did you react?

Thanks
 

LEO 229

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Feb 21, 2007
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7,606
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USA
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In Virginia it would be brandishing.

We do not have very many people doing this here but it does happen and they are arrested.

I recall locking up a paint ball kid who shot at a neighbors house and car. Home owner thought it was a machine gun!Scooped up his kid in the driveway and ran for their lives.




§ 18.2-282. Pointing, holding, or brandishing firearm, air or gas operated weapon or object similar in appearance; penalty.

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to point, hold or brandish any firearm or any air or gas operated weapon or any object similar in appearance, whether capable of being fired or not, in such manner as to reasonably induce fear in the mind of another or hold a firearm or any air or gas operated weapon in a public place in such a manner as to reasonably induce fear in the mind of another of being shot or injured.

However, this section shall not apply to any person engaged in excusable or justifiable self-defense. Persons violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor or, if the violation occurs upon any public, private or religious elementary, middle or high school, including buildings and grounds or upon public property within 1,000 feet of such school property, he shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.

B. Any police officer in the performance of his duty, in making an arrest under the provisions of this section, shall not be civilly liable in damages for injuries or death resulting to the person being arrested if he had reason to believe that the person being arrested was pointing, holding, or brandishing such firearm or air or gas operated weapon, or object that was similar in appearance, with intent to induce fear in the mind of another.

C. For purposes of this section, the word "firearm" means any weapon that will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel single or multiple projectiles by the action of an explosion of a combustible material. The word "ammunition," as used herein, shall mean a cartridge, pellet, ball, missile or projectile adapted for use in a firearm.
 

VtCO

State Researcher
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Messages
64
Location
, Vermont, USA
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user2050 wrote:
Just thought I'd share an experience that recently happened to me. Apologies in advance if this is in the wrong sub forum.

I was walking across a street towards a building at the same time a motorcycle was leaving the sidewalk area of the building. The MC waited for me to getcloser to the side walkbefore they entered the road around me.

While this was happenning, a young girl, jumped out of a nearby car that was temporarily parked on the side of the road, and racked a slide of an airsoft pistol, and was taking aim at the departing MC. Then when the shooter couldn’t get a clear shot (don’ t know if it was because I was behind the target or not) they stopped aiming at the MC. Then they exclaimed disappointment that they hadn’t gotten a shot off at the MC.

I assumed that the youths were from the church’s youth group that used the facility, so had no reason to suspect thugs in the area. Also I didn’t feel alarmed at the sound of the racking (it sounds just like my plastic Airsoft), and while I was looking at it, I could see the red tip, so immediately I assumed it was airsoft.

These assumptions caused me not even to change my stride up onto the sidewalk and into the building. So much for raising my alert level. All I said to the young woman was that what she just did, could be considered brandishing, airsoft or not, and that brandishing a gun is illegal. And she said she wouldn’t do it again.

Obviously in this instance there were no repercussions but it makes me wonder about my alert level.

No I was not carrying at the time.

Have others experienced similiar airsoft hits? How did you react?

Thanks
When will people learn that toy guns can get you shot by a real gun? Parents seem to be failing to educate their children, who in turn fail to educate their children, so on and so forth.
 

longwatch

Founder's Club Member - Moderator
Joined
May 14, 2006
Messages
4,327
Location
Virginia, USA
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Moreso if she had actually fired at the motorcycle it would be a class 4 felony in Virginia. As vulnerable as a motorcyclist is I could see an impact of an airsoft pellet as potentially fatal should it cause a wreck. I'm sure there are similar codes elsewhere.

§ 18.2-154. Shooting at or throwing missiles, etc., at train, car, vessel, etc.; penalty.
Any person who maliciously shoots at, or maliciously throws any missile at or against, any train or cars on any railroad or other transportation company or any vessel or other watercraft, or any motor vehicle or other vehicles when occupied by one or more persons, whereby the life of any person on such train, car, vessel, or other watercraft, or in such motor vehicle or other vehicle, may be put in peril, is guilty of a Class 4 felony. In the event of the death of any such person, resulting from such malicious shooting or throwing, the person so offending is guilty of murder in the second degree. However, if the homicide is willful, deliberate and premeditated, he is guilty of murder in the first degree.
If any such act is committed unlawfully, but not maliciously, the person so offending is guilty of a Class 6 felony and, in the event of the death of any such person, resulting from such unlawful act, the person so offending is guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
If any person commits a violation of this section by maliciously or unlawfully shooting, with a firearm, at a conspicuously marked law-enforcement, fire or rescue squad vehicle, ambulance or any other emergency medical vehicle, the sentence imposed shall include a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of one year.
(Code 1950, § 18.1-152; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1990, c. 426; 2004, c. 461; 2005, c. 143.)
 

LEO 229

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2007
Messages
7,606
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USA
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Ifthe biker saw the "gun" and felt impactshe could have believed he was in danger and been seriously hurt or killed trying to get away.
 

imperialism2024

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
3,047
Location
Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, USA
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LEO 229 wrote:
Ifthe biker saw the "gun" and felt impactshe could have believed he was in danger and been seriously hurt or killed trying to get away.
Yeah... the legality of what she did is kind of besides the point. And even the rudeness and disrespect is besides the point as well. The main point is that she very easily could have gotten herself shot, and personally I'd think that the same justification rules should apply as in self-defense situations where a real gun is used to threaten. In this day and age where some gangs use random killings as initiation, and where it's very easy to paint the tip of a gun red to make it look "fake", she put herself in a very serious situation.



I do find it kind of funny, though, that she racked the slide to chamber a "round". Afraid of AD's, eh? :lol:
 

ODA 226

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2008
Messages
1,603
Location
Etzenricht, Germany
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I was in Prague in 1995 with my SF Team Commander, on leave from the war in Croatia. We were walking past a gunshop when I saw a teenager and his buddy exit the store with what appeared to be a Sig P226 in his hand.

He raise the weapon directly at me and I instinctively executed a perfect kotegaish tenkan movement, threw him to the ground, heel stomped his face into the pavement, locked him out with an wristlock/ armbar combination, got control of the weapon, pointed the weapon at his buddy's faceand ordered him to get on the ground.

It was then that I realized the "weapon" was plastic.

After my TC ensured that the two had no "real" weapons I released the two and told them to go to the hospital.

Stupid kids didn't know who or WHAT they were messing with...
 

ScottyT

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
800
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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as an avid airsofter myself, I hate it when kids pull stuff like this! The last thing the sport needs is for the anti-gunners to be calling for laws requiring the guns to be clear, etc...

These kids don't realize they are harming a sport enjoyed by millions around the world.
 

expvideo

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Joined
Oct 8, 2006
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Location
Lynnwood, WA, ,
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ScottyT wrote:
as an avid airsofter myself, I hate it when kids pull stuff like this! The last thing the sport needs is for the anti-gunners to be calling for laws requiring the guns to be clear, etc...

These kids don't realize they are harming a sport enjoyed by millions around the world.
I used to be an avid airsofter until 14 year old punks like that ruined the sport for me. So +1.
 

ScottyT

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
800
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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expvideo wrote:
I used to be an avid airsofter until 14 year old punks like that ruined the sport for me. So +1.
Most of the local teams in the area have a minimum age requirement of 16, douchebags are generally weeded out and banned within a month, so I don't really have to deal with any of this on game days!
 
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