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LETTERS TO ACTION PURSUIT GAMES MAGAZINE
THE RESPONSIBILITY IS OURS (Action Pursuit Games Magazine - June 1994)
Dear Editor:
Over the years, a lot has been written about field operators and the responsibilites we have to our customers, like how it's our job to keep our customers happy and to run a safe field. Much of what's been written is true, but the burden of responsibility isn't ours to bear alone.
The players have responsibilites too, foremost of which is to their fellow players. You see, paintball players must count on each other not to do anything that may result in an accident. Responsible players abide by the safety rules and comply with the policies of the fields they play on.
Responsible players don't crank their guns up, take their goggles off during games or drink alcohol at the field. And they care about the future of paintball and how the general public sees them. They're just not the type of players who go around shooting up road signs or taking pot shots at the neighborhood pets.
It's no secret that this sport has its fair share of crummy field operators who are just out for the buck and couldn't care less about their customers or whether or not they got their money's worth, but there are also a lot of good field operators out there who are really trying. They just need the support and cooperation of their players. It may surprise you just how many of us field operators are interested in what our customers have to offer in the way of comments and suggestions, so the next time you have some constructive advice, go ahead and let your field operator know what's on your mind. After all, it's going to take all of us working together to make paintball a respectable sport and a popular national pastime.
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose, Oregon
ZERO TOLERANCE (Action Pursuit Games Magazine - December 1999)
Dear Editor:
This letter is in response to your editorial "Zero Tolerance" in the June 1999 issue of APG.
It wasn't long after I became a field operator that I realized something had to be done to discourage certain players from being rude and obnoxious. There were times when they would simply get on other people's nerves. This was especially the case after one player would eliminate another. After having one's ego bruised, the last thing an eliminated player needs is for someone to rub salt in the wound. (Hit a nerve, and there's likely to be a verbal, or even worse, physical confrontation.)
Like I said, I realized something had to be done to curb the problem, so I came up with a rule which prohibited a player from saying or doing anything that might provoke an argument or start a fight. Players were not allowed to insult or ridicule each other, to cuss or swear at each other, or to make crude or obscene gestures towards one another. This rule, when strictly enforced, works well. It just takes a good field operator and good referees to make it work.
It doesn't do any good at all to have rules if no one in authority is willing to enforce them or penalize the offenders. When push comes to shove, a field operator must be ready to back up his words with action. For me, the need to keep the peace during a game took on an even greater sense of urgency when I began producing a show about paintball for public access television. I have to ensure that the players who appear on the show are on their best behavior. Any player appearing on the program who uses profanity or makes any sort of inappropriate comment is immediately disqualified. Additionally, his team is charged with a foul and the opposing team is automatically awarded a point.
If this sounds a bit harsh or extreme, that's because it's meant to be. And why not? The show I produce is intended mainly for young viewers. I wouldn't want the kids watching it to get the wrong impression. I don't want them to think that paintball promotes violence or breeds animosity between the participants, like so many grown-ups seem to think. Paintball is a game people play for fun. It's a sport. Right?
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose, Oregon
FOCUS ON YOUTH (Action Pursuit Games Magazine - August 2002)
Dear Editor:
This is in response to the February 2002 Guest Commentary "Are We Being Singled Out" by David Dorfmann.
David, you presented some ideas which you felt might be a little far-fetched. Let me just say that I have to disagree with your assessment. Your ideas aren't as far-fetched as you think, just a little ahead of their time. Some day soon your ideas may become reality. In the meantime, don't sell yourself short. The young guns of paintball have had and continue to have a tremendous impact on this industry.
I give a paintball presentation at the public schools in my area that teaches kids how to safely play the game. I usually begin by asking the students, by a show of hands, how many of them have played paintball. Almost every hand in the classroom goes up. That just blows me away. A few years ago, I could have asked that same question and gotten a lot of blank stares and cross-eyed looks from the kids.
As is often the case, a lot of these kids are on a budget and have never stepped foot on a commercial paintball field. Mostly they just play on some vacant lot or somewhere in the woods behind their house. You may think that's unfortunate, but you have to realize that most of these kids wouldn't be playing at all if not for the fact that, over the years, the cost of paintball game supplies have been drastically reduced and are now much more easily obtained. Today, for example, you can walk into any Wal-Mart store and find everything you need to play the game. There are pros and cons to this, but that's another issue and that's not what I'm writing about.
Getting back to what I was saying, there once was a time when few adults could either afford to play or were even aware of the existence of paintball. Since then, a lot of factors and some very prominent people have influenced the rapid growth of this industry. Nonetheless, I stand by my belief that you younger players have had a tremendous influence on its growth. Do you think it's just a coincidence that paintball has made an appearance on television shows like Jackass, King Of The Hill, or King of Queens. Many of the viewers of these programs are kids. Even television producers know how much kids love to play paintball. I can't say that I was altogether impressed by the way in which paintball was portrayed on those TV shows, but that's also another issue which I'm not going to debate here.
The main thing I wanted to say to you is this. I think that the manufacturers are just now beginning to realize that kids make up the lion's share of their market.
For years, the industry has focused mainly on tournaments, but the number of people that play in tournaments is small in comparison to the number of kids that play for fun. You won't find these kids at a commercial paintball field. And you won't find them at the checkout stand with a copy of APG in their hand. I regret to say that most of them have never even heard of APG or, for that matter, any other paintball magazine. But the fact remains that there is a vast market of young players out there just waiting to be discovered. So hang in there, David. The day will come when the manufacturers finally realize that they need to concentrate a lot more on those kids. And that will be to your advantage.
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose, Oregon
UNTITLED (May 2003)
Dear Editor:
Regarding the article "How To Field Shop" in the May 2003 issue of APG, it was quite obvious from reading it that the Gladiators have a number of expectations of the paintball fields they patronize. It's not unreasonable for players to have certain expectations, but sometimes I think their expectations can be too high. And they are often too quick to criticize a field operator. Personally, I think players should reserve their criticism of the field operator until they've actually walked a mile in his shoes.
Running a paintball field isn't easy. I know. I used to run a paintball field. Running a field involves long hours, hard work, and a lot of personal hardship and sacrifice. And for all of his suffering, by the time a field operator gets done adding up all of the expenses, such as the cost of insurance, rent on the property, cost of materials and supplies, utility and telephone bills, cost of servicing the port-a-potties, advertising and marketing expenses, the salaries of the referees, and so forth, there's usually very little left over to show for it.
As much as any field operator would love to fulfill all of his customers' expectations, it takes money to do so. If the money's not there, there's just no way he can make it happen. Let's face it. Running any small business is a risky proposition, but paintball can be an especially risky business.
I'm not a field operator any more, so there's nothing to be gained by me for voicing my opinion on the subject. I do think, however, that it's only fair that someone stand up for the field operators who are doing the best they can with the few resources and the little bit of capital that they have. We, as players, need to show some appreciation for the field operators who are at least trying to make us happy. We should also try to help and support them as much as we can so that their bottom line improves. If a field operator is making a profit, he'll have the money to make upgrades to the field. In the end, everybody wins. The field operator gets to stay in business and the players get their money's worth.
So what can you do to support your local field operator? For starters, you can help out by being nice to the newbies and teaching them a few tricks of the trade. If they have fun, they'll be back. Field operators spend a lot of time and money trying to get new customers to come out to their field. To profit from his investment, a field operator needs to do as much repeat business with those new customers as he can. Whether or not he does will often depend on the way that you and your pals act towards the new players and how well you treat them.
Another thing you can do to help out your field operator is to referee, without pay. This benefits the field operator by lowering his operating expenses. You can also volunteer to work on the field and maybe even donate some of the building materials, i.e. paint, lumber, nails, etc. This will enable the field operator to make upgrades to the field that he couldn't otherwise afford.
A final suggestion is to help advertise the field by putting up posters and circulating fliers at your workplace. By doing so, you not only help to promote your local field, but you could also save yourself some money because, if enough of your co-workers want to play, you might be able to get a group rate.
What ought to be obvious by now is that the more you do to help your field operator, the more you stand to gain.
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose, Oregon
RESPECT (Action Pursuit Games Magazine - October 2003)
Dear Editor:
In the August 2003 APG, page 233, is a letter to the editor by Jeff Lucas. I can't even begin to tell you how much his letter disgusted and upset me. I realize everyone has a right to an opinion, but Mr. Lucas' point of view is utterly contemptible. His kind of thinking belongs back in the Stone Age with the rest of the Neanderthals. Does he even have a clue what he's talking about? Does he even realize how idiotic his opinion is? It's not just idiotic! It's insulting!
Where does he come off with the crap he's spouting about women in paintball? There are plenty of female players out there who can hold their own against any man. Some of the biggest names and most influential people in the paintball industry are women. Instead of insulting these women, he ought to be thanking them. Whether he realizes it or not, it's because of dedicated women like them that paintball is still around for him to enjoy. They've helped to keep it alive and well.
If Mr. Lucas were to stop a moment and look back upon the pages of history, he would see that women have proven time and again that they can do just about anything a man can do. Maybe Mr. Lucas has heard of tennis champion Billie Jean King. She won a record 20 Wimbledon titles, including six singles titles, as well as titles in four U.S. Open singles, the French Open singles, and the Australian Open singles. In 1973, she defeated Bobby Riggs, who proclaimed prior to the match that, "No woman could ever possibly beat a man." Then there was Gertrude Ederle. Many people thought it impossible for a woman to swim the 35 miles across the English Channel. But in 1926, Ederle not only completed the swim, she broke the men's record by almost two hours.
Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. Many believe Ride was chosen because of her gender, but her shuttle commander said it was because she was "the very best person for the job". He also said, "There is no man I would rather have in her place."
Annie Oakley, the poor back-country orphan girl who became a legend in her own time by making her way to fame as one of the greatest sharpshooters the world has ever seen. She proved time and again that she could outgun any man with a rifle or a six-shooter.
Sylvia Earle was rejected from participating in the U.S. Navy's "Tektite Project" because she was a woman. Undaunted, she led her own team of women aquanauts on a two-week exploration of the ocean floor and has since gone on to become internationally recognized as one of our nation's leading marine biologists and one of the world's leading advocates for safeguarding the seas. In 1979, she walked un-tethered on the sea floor at a depth of 1,250 feet. That's deeper than any other person, man or woman, has before or since.
Amelia Earhart. Just like Charles Lindbergh, she too flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean. And she did it in less than half the time it took Lindbergh. Mary Walker, M.D., was the first woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Denied a commission as a medical officer because she was a woman, she volunteered to serve with the Union during the Civil War. Risking life and limb, Dr. Walker continually ventured onto the battlefield and behind enemy lines to treat and care for the wounded.
Jacqueline Cochran, the first woman aviator to break the sound barrier and set new speed, distance, and altitude records, led the Women's Air Force Service Pilots during the Second World War, becoming the first woman to pilot a bomber across the Atlantic. The freedom that Mr. Lucas and other Americans enjoy today is due in part to Jacqueline Cochran's willingness and the willingness of countless other women like her to risk their lives in the defense of our nation.
Gertrude Elion was an American pharmacologist who developed drugs to fight leukemia and several other diseases. She also developed drugs to facilitate kidney transplants. If there ever comes a time in Mr. Lucas' life when he or one of his loved ones needs a kidney transplant, I hope he remembers to thank Gertrude Elion for her contribution to medical science. Edith Nourse Rogers. As a member of Congress, she introduced the G.I. Bill of Rights, which gave returning World War II veterans opportunities to go to college, obtain job training, and receive low-interest loans to buy houses. Maybe the house Mr. Lucas lives in was purchased with a veteran's home loan. If it was, he has a woman to thank for that too.
Alice Hamilton, a pathologist who specialized in industrial diseases. She studied the poisons affecting workers in the lead, munitions, and copper industries, traveling the country and touring mines and factories, smelters and forges. Her research helped to promote safety in the American workplace and the implementation of workmen's compensation laws. I wonder if Mr. Lucas works in a factory. I do. And as a member of the industrial workforce, I can certainly appreciate all that Alice Hamilton did to improve my working conditions.
Mr. Lucas, if you are reading this, I hope by now you realize that you should never underestimate a woman or dismiss the contributions women have made and continue to make to society. And I also hope you realize you owe an apology to all the women you undoubtedly offended with your obnoxious letter. At the very least, I think you ought to write a retraction.
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose, Oregon
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LETTERS TO PAINTBALL MAGAZINE
WHAT IS MATURITY (Paintball Magazine - February 2002)
Dear Editor:
This is in response to the letter from Mr. Robert Van Saun which appears on page 108 of the September 2001 issue of Paintball Magazine.
According to you, Mr. Van Saun, kids are to blame for giving paintball a bad name because they're immature. Well, sir, I guess you're entitled to your opinion, however absurd it is. But in my opinion, I think you really need to wake up and smell what you're shoveling. Do you honestly think it's fair to condemn all kids who play paintball based upon the actions of a few? Do you think that kids are the only ones who can behave immaturely?
Well then, what do you call it when a couple of adults are driving along the freeway flipping each other off and yelling obscentities at each other? You think that's being mature and grown up? Or maybe you think an adult paintball player is being mature and grown up when he's having a temper tantrum and kicking his high-end paintball marker all over the playing field in a fit of rage. Do you call that mature? I'm 50 years old and there are still times when I have to stop and tell myself to start acting more my age.
Let's face it, Mr. Van Saun, just because someone is an adult, it doesn't automatically make that person mature. According to the dictionary, to be mature is to be fully developed mentally, emotionally, and physically. I know a lot of adults, myself included, who sometimes fail to measure up to that definition. I think you need to ease up on the kids. I also think you need to stop being so narrow-minded and to take a real good look at what's going on around you the next time you're out at the paintball field. I'm sorry if I said anything in my letter to offend you, Mr. Van Saun, but maybe that makes up for all the kids you undoubtedly offended with your letter.
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose, Oregon
ARE YOU INVINCIBLE? (Paintball Magazine - February/March 2005) Dear Editor: You asked me if paintball helps to prepare a person for war. I'll come back to your question later. In the meantime, I will say this. It definitely teaches a person just how easy it is to get shot. For some, getting shot that easily with just a paintball can be a real eye-opening experience. I remember hanging out in the staging area of our paintball field one day listening to a group of college students after their very first game. I overheard one student telling another that he had been shot twice in the head. "If we were fighting for real," he said, "I wouldn't have lasted very long in this war." More than 15 years have passed since that day. I don't know why, but what that first-time player said back then has stuck in my mind ever since. Maybe it was because it finally dawned on me that, for some people, paintball was a wake up call. A kind of reality check. It lets a person know that, unlike Rambo or Superman, he or she is not invincible. And once they realize it's easier to get shot than they thought it was, their mind set begins to change. They start taking the game more seriously. That, my friends, is when "the transformation" begins. And during this transformation, the player, whether he or she realizes it or not, begins to learn the fundamentals of battlefield survival, which is to shoot, move, and communicate. Shoot. Move. Communicate. If you break down those three cardinal rules, you get a much better picture of how paintball relates to each of them. Let's take the first fundamental of battlefield survival, which is to shoot. One of the goals in paintball is to eliminate your opponent without being eliminated yourself. In war, your objective is to kill the enemy before he kills you. To do this, you must learn to identify, acquire, engage and shoot your target all within the space of a couple of heartbeats while simultaneously minimizing your exposure to enemy fire. Sound familiar? Anyway, the more a person plays paintball, the more skill he or she developes as a shooter and at being a hard target. In combat, that's a very good skill to have. The next fundamental is to move. Shortly after they begin their indoctrination into this sport, paintballers soon learn that sitting too long in one spot can result in a premature trip to the deadman's box. In war, you must embrace the concept of freedom of manuever because, as every experienced combat soldier knows, the best way to keep an enemy off balance is to press the attack. A smart soldier knows better than to let himself get pinned down or caught in a cross fire, so he continues to move in order to close with and destroy the enemy while his battle buddies provide suppressive fire. This tactic works very well for paintball players too, as most have discovered. The final, and perhaps most important fundamental, is to communicate, because without communication, there can be no teamwork. In war, battles are not won by individuals acting alone, but by soldiers working together as a unit. Effective and timely communication results in solid teamwork. Every good soldier knows this. It is a lesson paintball players also learn via their involvement and participation in the sport. Like a good combat unit, the best paintball teams will develope an effective system of communication to enable them to coordinate their actions and perform collectively as a unit. To a certain extent, I think all team sports help to prepare a person for war. But paintball, more so than any other, can help people in that regard. Paintball can heighten your sense of awareness. Over time, you start to develop a very keen eye for detail. In combat, that's a plus. You need sharp reflexes to survive in a combat zone. Paintball sharpens the reflexes, and that's another plus. Playing paintball helps you learn how to make the best use of available cover and to stay tight in your bunker. Knowing how to minimize your vulnerability to enemy fire is an essential skill on any battlefield. Now, just because paintball can help a person learn the fundamentals of battlefield survival, it doesn't mean it makes them want to go out and join the Army and fight a war. On the contrary, once they realize it's not as easy as it looks, most people who play paintball are less inclined then ever to venture into battle. It's unfortunate, but there's an abundance of misinformation floating around out there about paintball players. For example, some naysayers claim that paintball desensitizes people and makes them more apt to shoot or kill someone. Horse feathers! After playing this game now for more than 18 years, sad movies still make me cry, I still say killing is wrong, and I still don't agree with capital punishment. If you ask me, I think a religious zealot is much more likely to go out and kill someone than a guy who simply plays paintball. The things that drive people to kill other people are hatred, anger, jealousy, revenge, racism, and greed, just to name a few. Playing paintball doesn't make you a killer. Nor does it make you any more apt or less prone to kill. The primal instinct to kill is in every one of us. We prove that every time we swat a fly or squish a spider. Anyway, if what the naysayers believe about paintball players is true, then those of us who play would go around looking for an excuse to kill someone. I don't know about the rest of the people on this planet, but I've got better things to do with my time. Well, now that I've had my say, I think I'm finally ready to answer your question, the one about whether or not paintball helps to prepare a person for war. The answer, in my opinion, is both yes and no. Paintball can prepare a person to survive in combat because, over time, they learn the fundamentals of battlefield survival, but it does nothing to prepare a person psycologically or emotionally for war's harsh realities. It's one thing to be sitting in a movie theater watching "Saving Private Ryan" on the silver screen, but it's another thing to have lived through a battle, to have actually experienced the pain, the loss, the horror, the chaos, the uncertainty, and the terror of war. Do I know what I'm talking about? Well, considering the fact that I've been in the Army since 1968 and, at this very moment, I am writing this in a war zone in Baghdad, Iraq, I would say so. Sincerely, SFC Robert J. Shano Baghdad, Iraq |
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LETTERS TO THE SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPER
NOT RAMBOS (The Spotlight - October 25, 1989)
To the editor:
We sponsored a little fund-raiser Saturday at the Sauerkraut Festival. We were trying to raise a few dollars for the Scappoose Police Crime Prevention Program. I think mostly what we did was raise a few eyebrows.
We talked to a lot of people that day. Some of the people we talked to seem to think we're out in the woods practicing for a parachute drop into Nicaragua or something. That's a laugh! Others thought we dress up in camouflaged clothing just so we can look and feel like Rambo. That takes the cake!
I think it's time to set the record straight.
In the first place, the fact that we wear camouflage clothing has nothing to do with trying to look like Rambo. We wear it because, in some ways, the paintwar game is a lot like "hide-and-go-seek". And when you're out in the woods trying to keep yourself from being seen, it just makes good sense to wear camouflaged clothing. It helps us blend in with the terrain so that we're harder to see. If we were playing in a forest full of blue trees, we'd all wear blue. Get the picture? Rambo's got nothing to do with it. And contrary to what appears to be popular belief, Rambo is not our idol.
Now, although the paintwar game is sometimes referred to as a "war game", we do not make a game out of war. Paintwar games are fun. War isn't. And if you don't believe that, just ask anyone who's been there. Fact is, nobody who plays this game out at our gamefield has any desire to go to war. And if they ever did, they probably lost what little desire they had the moment they got shot with a paint pellet. At that point they look down at the big red splotch on their chest and realize that if it had been a real bullet, they'd be dead. It's enough to make any rational person think twice about running off to war.
I've told you what the paintwar game isn't. Now I'll tell you what it is. The paintwar game is a sport enjoyed by people from all professions and walks of life. It's a character-building activity. Players learn the importance of teamwork and gain self-confidence while developing leadership abilities. It's a game in which women can stand on equal footing with men. The emphasis is on individual skill and cunning, not on gender or strength. Fair play and good sportsmanship are just as much a part of the paintwar game as they are any other sport. There are official rules for playing the game and there are referees on the field to enforce these rules.
In 1987, the paintwar game emerged as the fastest growing new action sport in the nation. Hundreds of new fields and stores have appeared since then. Today there are more than a dozen gamefields in the northwest. The game is played all around the world. It is especially popular in Canada, England, and Australia. In recent years, hundreds of organized teams have been formed. These teams compete regularly in national and international tournaments where cash and prizes total as much as 100,000 dollars. The sport even has its own players association, a non-profit organization known as the International Paintball Players Association. The goals of the IPPA are to keep the game safe and promote its growth. The IPPA also has delegates in every state of the nation ready to provide the general public with free information about the games and the location of the nearest playing field.
At the festival, a youngster asked me if it hurt to get shot with a paint pellet. I told him it hurt a little. He then asked me why I would want to play if it hurt. I replied, "What's a little pain when you're having fun?" I don't think he quite understood. But then again, how could he? He had never played the game.
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose, Oregon
THESE AREN'T TOYS (The Spotlight - September 26, 1990)
To the editor:
Lately, I have been getting lots of phone calls from parents interested in purchasing a paintball gun for their child. Other than knowing what they were called, most knew little else about the guns or how they operate. Maybe you're thinking about buying a paintball gun for your child. Before you do, there are some things you should know.
To begin with, a paintball gun is not a toy. That's why they come in a box with a warning label that says "careless use may cause serious injury or death". It would be a mistake to give a child a real gun to play with. It would also be a mistake to give a child a paintball gun to play with. The child could get hurt or else hurt someone else. Paintball guns can fire paint pellets at speeds of up to 375 feet per second. Each day before it is used, the velocity of the paintball gun must be checked and then monitored throughout the day to ensure it remains within the safe velocity limits. Temperature can affect the velocity of a paintball gun. So can the brand of paint pellets being used. When used in a game against other players, the velocity should never exceed 300 feet-per-second. The velocity of a paintball gun must be checked with a chronograph. A chronograph is an electronic instrument used to measure the precise speed of a paintball gun. Unless you use a chronograph, there's no way to tell the gun is safe.
Goggles must be worn when handling a paintball gun. And not just any old pair of goggles either. The lens must be made of lexan or polycarbonate and at least .060 inches thick. In Corvalis, a young man named Anthony Schwartz was wearing a cheap pair of ordinary shop goggles when a paint pellet penetrated them and hit him in the eye. The injury caused permanent partial loss of vision.
All paintball guns operate on compressed gas. Compressed gas is extremely dangerous. In Los Angeles, a young boy named Eric Hewitt was seriously injured when the gas cylinder from a paintball gun hit him in the face. It fractured his jaw in four places, broke nine of his teeth, and caved in the roof of his mouth. An improperly installed valve caused the accident. The connection between the valve and the cylinder should have been sealed with Locktite and torqued to 50 foot pounds with a strap wrench.
At first glance, a paintball gun looks simple enough. Just point and pull the trigger. Right? Not so. There's a lot more to it then that. Modern paintball guns employ state-of-the-art technology and should only be handled by responsible adults who know what they're doing. They are not toys. And that's the bottom line.
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose, Oregon
PAINTBALL GUNS ARE NOT TOYS OR PLAYTHINGS (The Spotlight - June 25, 2003)
To the editor:
Tragically, 15-year old Brandon Johnson of Olympia, Washington died last week in a paintball-related accident.
According to an article in his hometown newspaper, he died as a result of the injuries he sustained when the compressed gas canister used to power his paintball gun exploded and struck him in the head. The explosion occurred while he was disconnecting the canister.
I know I've said it before, but now I feel compelled to say it again. A paintball gun is not a toy or a child's plaything. It says it right there on the box that the paintball gun comes in. As soon as a parent sees that, the red flag ought to go up.
According to the latest statistics, there are more than 16 million paintball players in the world, with more than 7 million players in this country alone. Paintball is now the third most popular extreme sport in America. It has even surpassed snowboarding in popularity.
When I think about how things used to be when I first started playing in 1986, I can hardly believe how much and how fast the sport has grown. It still amazes me just how many kids in this community are out there today playing paintball. Most, however, play the game without any adult supervision whatsoever. Why is that?
We tell our children not to play with matches, but we don't hand them a box of matches at the same time we're telling them this. It would be against our better judgment to do a thing like that. Wouldn't it? You sort of have to take that same attitude when it comes to handing a child a paintball gun. It's just not enough to tell that child to be careful and then send him or her on out to play. A responsible and knowledgeable adult should be present to supervise the children and monitor their activities while they're playing the game.
Someone needs to make sure the kids are keeping their goggles on anytime they are within range of a loaded paintball gun, not just when they feel like it.
Someone needs to make sure the paintball guns are being handled just like any other loaded gun. Until the game begins and everyone has their goggles on, someone needs to make sure the kids are keeping their paintball guns pointed in a safe direction with their trigger finger outside the trigger guard in order to prevent any mishaps or accidental discharges.
Someone needs to make sure the kids know what they're doing when connecting or disconnecting the compressed gas canisters of their paintball guns. When handled improperly, a compressed gas canister can become a deadly projectile or a bomb.
Someone needs to make sure the kids keep their paintball guns shooting at a safe speed. A chronograph is needed to monitor the velocity of the guns and to keep them shooting at the safe limit. Again, it tells you that right there in the operator's manual. Without a chronograph, there's just no way to tell how fast the guns are shooting. A gun that is shooting too fast could seriously hurt someone. The impact of a paintball fired from a gun that is shooting too fast could cause internal bleeding or crack a goggle lens. Never mind if you're certain that the paintball gun your child is using is shooting at a safe speed. What about the paintball guns that the other kids are shooting?
If your child owns a paintball gun and you haven't done so yet, both you and your child need to sit down together and read the operator's manual that came with it from cover to cover. It will tell you just about everything you need to know to safely operate and maintain the gun. If there's anything else you want to know about paintball, you can give me a call at 543-3880.
Don't let the awful thing that happened to Brandon happen to your child.
Bob "Sarge" Shano
Scappoose
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