I found this article linked from someone's signature. I don't know who wrote it, and I agree with its basic premise, but most of the reasons it cites are borderline ridiculous; what this is, is a response to that article. First, let's start with the definition for backyard airsofting, according to the article:





"Backyard Airsoft: A term meaning the use of airsoft replica firearms (those that shoot the 6mm or 8mm plastic bbs) in any place that might, by the slimmest chance, be viewed by persons that are NOT actually involved in the game, that may be unsafe BECAUSE of the game, or may not understand what the game is, or that may call the police for fear of their own safety."

A good definition. It does everything it should, and can be applied in every situation I can imagine.





"First off, let me RAM this point home. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LEGALITY!"

And this is where I start to disagree. Backyard airsofting has EVERYTHING to do with legality. Backyarding in a place where airsoft is illegal will not only result in the confiscation of your guns if you get caught, but you'll get a fine and charged with possession as well. After doing some research on this, I have found that most of the places that have laws prohibiting the owning of airsoft guns are places that would be dangerous to play, for reasons mentioned by the definition of backyard airsofting, so unless you have a private warehouse in a place where it is illegal, you'd find yourself playing in the middle of the street.





"Heres the point. ANYONE, who sees you with your REPLICA FIREARM... is going to see you with a FIREARM. They don't care what sound your REPLICA FIREARM may be making. The public is ignorant of such things. They see you with a FIREARM. And thus they see a THREAT. They WILL and most usually DO call the police when they see it. This isn't like the inner city drug lord controlled slums, where everyone keeps their mouth shut. This is YOUR neighborhood. Even if you have talked to every property owner on your block, and they don't mind you playing... you can't talk to every motorist, every pedestrian, every POLICE officer who may be coming through your neighborhood at ANY time."

Oh boy. First off, anyone who sees you with your replica SHOULD see the BLAZE ORANGE tip. They should also see you with goggles. Now, I know that when most people see blaze orange tips on guns, and see the person carrying it wearing goggles and stuff, they are more curious than anything else, and when they hear it shoot, know it's not a real gun. This is why orange tips are so important. They let anyone who may see you with your replica know right off the bat that it is not real. Also, as far as neighborhoods go, why not talk to your neighbors first and tell them what you are doing in your back yard so even if they ARE nosey, they know that it's no threat to them. In fact, neighbors are most concerned about two things; is it nosey, and is it making a mess, and the latter only applies if it is on their property, which you shouldn't be without permission. Also, if you are indeed playing around your house and a concerned motorist makes a call, even if its a call about people running around with weapons, what type of cop would go charging in with his pistol? That doesn't make any sense at all...only the dumbest of the dumb cops would go looking for trouble. He'd when facing that type of potentially dangerous situation, and I stress potentially, he'd probably ask questions first, and draw only if he sees someone running around with a replica without an orange tip. If he sees someone with the replica, he'll ask that you put whatever you have down, one piece at a time. He won't draw unless you do something stupid like pull your replica on him. Also, I'd like to point out how strange it would be for a motorist to take action. They should be paying more attention to the road than looking around for the off chance of spotting children running around with big guns. Pedestrians would be the primary concern, but only in a place where airsoft is illegal. If it is legal, they can call the cops on you over and over and over again, but as long you are on your own property and the neighbors are not complaining, there is nothing wrong legally. Also, it's not like that story is going to hit the local press, and if it does, what will it say, "Local kids found playing with airsoft guns around their house"? And again, if a police officer stops, nothing is wrong as long as you do what he says and you are in a place where airsoft is legal.





"Then, when the police respond to the call... Bear in mind the call they recieved said "There is someone sneaking around with a gun at blah blah blah address" When they DO respond, they are going to be ready to defend themselves against an armed and dangerous perpetrator. They will have their REAL weapons drawn and ready as they approach you. And if you so much as flinch in such a way that they feel threatened, you may be shot. FOR REAL... 9mm doesn't just hurt... it KILLS... and police are trained to fire for center mass... that is, they are trained to shoot to KILL. Not to wound. Not to scare. TO KILL."

I already covered this, any cop dumb enough to go barging into an area where someone was seen sneaking around with a gun has a death wish. As far as they know, the "perpetrator" has done nothing wrong so far, other than sneak around with a gun on his property, which if I made the law of the land would be (and often is) perfectly alright. On the off chance that they think the person with the gun is out to harm the owners of the house, again, no problems, since you are the owner, and you can then explain your actions to the cop. Yes, cops are trained to shoot to kill, but most of them are terrible shots. I'm not saying tempt a police officer at 50 feet to shoot you dead, just saying that they have a rep for not having good aim. That being said, it's best to avoid that whole situation and just play in a place where you can't be seen.





"Then, even IF you manage to survive the police's response, and the police determine your weapons to be replicas, and not real firearms. Now you have sullied the reputation of the Airsoft Community as whole. These police officers now see you as a bunch of stupid kids, running around playing guns with guns that look real. Instead of a group of dedicated military simulation hobbyists. Yes its true, maybe now the next time you have an error in judgement, and play in your yard again, then maybe the police may not take the threat seriously... but then... you have the problem of the police 'NOT TAKING AIRSOFT SERIOUSLY" which they should. A positive SERIOUS view of airsofters, is better than a negative foolhardy view of airsofters."

Again, I will have to call this false. I have dealt with police before on quite a few airsoft related topics. This article makes it seem like the first thing the cops do is highjack a TV frequency and start spewing propaganda saying all airsofters are "stupid kids". That incident will stay between you, the cops, and maybe the person who called. If you look all military to begin with, the cops will see you as a military enthusiast who got caught up in a misunderstanding. Also, I don't even know what it tries to get at with "police 'NOT TAKING AIRSOFT SERIOUSLY"". They should see it as nothing more than it is; a fun hobby. Personally, I would rather cops not take it seriously. All the cops in my town don't take it seriously, and I have a great time playing in the woods with my crew. All of them have told me many times that they don't care where we play, just as long as we keep our noise down. If they start taking it too seriously, it will limit what we can do. If they see it as "foolhardy" they couldn't care less as long as we aren't making a rukus.





"Now, put aside the police for a second. Now its time to think about the possibility of a real gun owner, responding to your activity. They don't have SOPs regarding armed assailants. They may just shoot you on sight as a threat to their home."

This is the part that made me lose it. What this is suggesting is that your neighbor will walk over and murder you in cold blood as you and your friends try to play around your house, or that pedestrians and random motorists will start taking pot shots at you for walking through your front yard with an airsoft gun. I mean, just how ridiculous can this get?





"Now that you have read this, I need to tell you one more thing. If you NEED to play guns in your yard, or in your nieghborhood. Sell your airsoft guns and buy NERF guns. NERF is more your style. Airsoft is not a game that you can just go and play outside every day with your friends and nieghbors. Airsoft is a game/hobby that is meant to be treated with respect, and playing in public view is disrespectful to everyone else who is serious about Airsoft."

If you need to play around your house, just be responsible. OK it with your neighbors (if there is a risk of shooting their house or you want to use their property), and play out of view from the street and sidewalk, and only do so if airsoft is 100% legal in your area.





Final thoughts:
Backyard airsofting has been associated with many troubling things, like improper eye protection, annoying rich kids, even accidental police shootings. However, when practiced responsibly, it can be a fun and safe past time for those who live too far away from a field or are looking for a low cost solution for a place to play. If you can play at a real field, please do, but if you absolutely must play in your backyard or a forest preserve or something, let your neighbors know, make sure you are in a place where it is legal, and make sure you have orange tips on your gun and that everyone has adequate eye protection. Above all else, just be responsible.

This post has been edited by Ralph: Jun 21 2006, 03:01 AM

playing airsoft in backyards is fine, I don't give a what people say.

Yet another topic closed for morons trying to justify that playing airsoft, in the possible view of the public, is OK to do (doesn't matter if you have a completely fenced in yard; if you have neighbors they can see you, call the cops, bad stuff can happen, etc., etc., etc.).




Good. Leave this forum. Please.


....and a not-so-kind note to all other members. If you continue to discuss playing "backyard airsoft" this forum is not for you. I will warn you, then send you a kind PM, then if you still persist on discussing it, you may be banned from this site. We do this to protect everybody from harm, as well as trying to protect Airsoft from getting banned.

This post has been edited by TriChrome: Jun 21 2006, 09:37 AM