Firing Back: Even Paintball Under Fire

Earlier this year Airsoft came under fire – no pun intended – as a shop had its merchandize confiscated for resembling M-4 assault rifles. Now it seems paintball could end up in the cross hairs. The New York Daily News reported, “two terror wannabes were training at paintball ranges.”

“Ranges?” What exactly are paintball ranges? They probably mean “paintball fields,” but why should we expect the media – or federal investigators for that matter – to bother with proper terminology? Now we’re not saying that some terrorist wannabes didn’t actually go play paintball, but short of running around and playing at war as they say, how exactly does one “train” at these places?

This is sort the nonsensical logic that is used anytime anything bad happens, such as blaming video games every time a youth does something bad. If there is a shooting involving anyone under 30, it must be violent video games, music and movies.

Frankly, we’re surprised paintball, Airsoft and similar games of this type haven’t been blamed previously. But no doubt this will put the whole sport in a bad light, and that’s a shame, because at least unlike video games paintball and Airsoft actually get players off the couch.

But this is also another way to go after guns, in all shapes and forms.