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To: Ryanhk21owner
I have been a paintball player for 10 years. Where I live, the fields are out in the rural areas as most cities, like yours, do not allow the discharge of a PB gun in city limits. Generally we have to drive 30-60 minutes to get to the locations.

All the fields are large enough to make sure stray shots do not go into surrounding private properties or roads. The field operators and property owners are properly licensed, the fields are properly zoned for that kind of use and all are insured to cover injuries or mishaps. No one is harassed by the local authorites or police. In fact, there are many police and fire teams that play. Everyone observes the rules, nobody gets hurt and everyone has a good time.

From what I've read, and I may be wrong because the facts are a little hazy, it appears that local kids had been playing on a field, admittedly for some time, that they didn't have permission to use. That field was inside city limits where they have an ordinance against discharging air guns.

The city curtailed the PB activities on that field, so you moved to another field owned by a friend, but still within city limits and subject to those laws. The cops showed up to stop play, so the kids moved back to the old field that they had already been asked not to use. The cops showed up the second time in riot gear to enforce the local ordinance. Is this pretty much it?

Here are my observations. The old field was neither zoned for that type of use and there was a city ordinance prohibiting PB in city limits, nor did you have permission to use it. Since the city didn't bother you for five years, I'm assuming someone recently made a complaint. As the one good cop said, as long as they someone doesn't complain, they probably would leave you alone. Once the complaint was made, the city had an obligation to enforce the law, if purely for liability reasons.

Although you had permission from the landowner to use the second field, it was not properly zoned either, and, in my experience 10 acres is rather small to insure stray shots do not find their way to other property, cars or pedestrians who may travelling on adjacent roads. Unless there is more evidence, the police had the right to ask you to leave.

At this point, the kids go back to old field they had already been asked to not use. The cops can only think they have a bunch of rebels who are defying their requests. So a bunch show up in riot gear to remove them. Personally, I don't blame them. PB's can travel over 300 feet/sec and easily put out an eye, pop an eardrum, knock out a tooth or break a nose. If I was cop, going to remove a bunch of kids with air guns who have violated requests to desist, I would also put on riot gear. It would not be unreasonable to believe some of those kids might pop off a few shots at my head as I approach.

Are you organizing and running these paintball events on these fields? Do you or whoever is doing it have the proper training and liability insurance in case one of the kids takes one in the eye? Is there anyone insuring that proper safety equipment is being used at all times and that safety procedures are in place and being practiced? Are these kids being properly supervised by adults?

No offense, but what this looks like to me is a business owner trying to protect his interests. You may not operate the fields but your living is made off of selling guns, helmets and paintballs to these kids. I don't have a problem with you doing that, but don't come in here calling people nazis and hysterically claiming that your fundemental civil rights are being violated because local officials are enforcing the laws.

My suggestion is instead of acting like an hysterical boob, you forget about that city and get together with county officials and politely inquire as to what you need to do to set up a properly licensed, insured and functioning paintball field somewhere down the road. Your claim that these kids can't play if they can't walk to the field is ludicrous. Their parents appear to be involved enough to scream at city officials, but they won't drive them to the fields to play? Did any of these parents make sure the field was being operated by professionals who are interested in their kids safety as well as making a buck or two?

Here is the comment that sealed it for me...

I need a venture capitalist fast to build a legal tax paying field..."

So, the fields you were using were neither legal nor paying the appropriate taxes. It seems to me you might be trying to take advantage of the good people on this Forum. I would not recommend anyone respond to this "FReeping" request until more is known about it and the motives of the people involved.

140 posted on 02/05/2003 9:35:50 AM PST by Bob J (Join the Free Republic Network! www.freerepublic.net)
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Alright, let me say a few things here. I have been playing paintball for about 6 years, and I can honestly say, my life has improved greatly since starting. I've never been this physically fit, I've never felt better about myself, and I've never had more fun. Paintball is a great sport, because it incorporates the following: team work, decision making, self confidence, sportsmanship, leadership, friendship, and the list goes on. I've met people from other continents due to paintball. I've made lots of new friends, and have benefited greatly from all the things paintball has to offer. Paintballers are very cautious, we all enforce safety rules to the T. We all wear full face and head protection, and the lenses are made of polycarbonate, a bullet-proof plastic. Padding can be worn to increase safetey, but I personally wear almost none, because paintball hits generally don't hurt for more than a few seconds. The games are observed by referees, who enforce the safetey rules, such as making sure people don't lift their goggles until they are in a safe area. Take a guess as to how many serious injuries have resulted because of paintball? Guess how many deaths? None. You are safer playing paintball than playing almost any other sport. Insurance company stats have proven that more injuries take place on a bowling alley than on a paintball field. Don't believe me? Come out to an organized field, and see first hand.

To all you people who think paintball is evil, you obviously have never tried it. If 12 year old girls can play at the field I head-ref at, then trust me, you can too. I guaranty that if you try it once, you will be hooked. The sheer adrenaline rush puts any other sport to shame, and you will have more fun playing paintball than doing almost anything else. In the 6 years I've been playing, I've NEVER had nor seen, any major injury. The most I've seen is a welt, whoopidy doo, goes away in a couple days. Also, paintballers don't call our "guns" guns, we call them "markers". Guns mame, kill, and destroy, makers don't. Markers put a paintball (which isn't even made out of paint, it's made out of vegetable oil) on your opponent, and eliminate him for the duration of the game, no killing involved. Where else can you "shoot" your best friend, then laugh about it with him 10 minutes later in the staging area? Honestly, don't be so quick to judge something that you've never even tried. Frankly, it's just not fair. Paintballers in general are good, friendly people. Granted, there are those "renegade" punks who shoot up STOP signs, making us responsible players look like hooligans. By the way, where I play, we have SWAT and Sherrifs regularly. It helps their training too.

Paintball also violates no known laws, because frankly, what are we doing that's illegal? Having fun? I know some of you will say that, "oh, your shooting at another human being!". First off, we are "tagging" or "marking" our opponents with non-leathal "markers". We are enjoying a great game in a safe and responsible setting, while being fully protected. I'll stop ranting, but seriously, before you pass judgment on us paintballers, give it a try first, then come back and talk to me.
141 posted on 03/01/2003 11:50:38 PM PST by Automagfreek
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