Saturday 10 October 2009

Do Not Underestimate Airsoft Guns As Weapons

By Anthony Carter

Can you distinguish between a real gun and a toy version when they are lying on a table before you, when a toy gun is made to look exactly like the lethal weapon next to it? You may be able to have a second look, even pick them up to try and find the real weapon, but when you are crouched down fearing for your life with gun welding criminals shouting - how do you choose the airsoft guns then?

Airsoft guns may not have the ability to kill you, but they should be considered lethal weapons in the hands of criminals. Any disregard in this may lead to you being shot and killed by a real weapon. These toys need to be taken seriously.

No one expected these toys to become so popular after they first hit toy stores, but sales heated up in months. The interaction between manufacturers and clients gained momentum as people developed games in which these airsoft guns play a major role, real life, role-play games!

As these games progressed, so did the expectations for better and stronger weapons. This saw the first spring loaded models slowly but surely loose their market position to weapons that use different forms of propulsion.

Gas or air was compressed inside the gun and when fired, the bullets were driven by these gasses. A step closer to gun powder fired guns, the airsoft gun became a lot stronger in their firing power and took a massive leap closer to real weapons.

Compressed air eventually moved to the side as inert gasses such as propane were used to fire guns with. Propane has a massive expansion rate, delivering very high pressures in the barrel in an instant. To add to the realism, propane fired guns produce a smell that mimics the smell of a real gun being fired.

Gimmicks like the smoke cap came to be part of these as the demand for even more realistic firing pushed the makers to keep designing look-alike weapons. The cap sits in the gun and when fired, white smoke emits from the gun.

Manufacturers of these weapons respond to every whim and cry their customers may have and in the process more lethal looking and acting toy weapons are made daily. Funnily enough, the major role player in this industry, Japan, realized what a threat these toys actually are and banned Japanese people from owning or using them. Not for a moment do they consider what these weapons are doing all over the world and exports just stay on the rise. However the onus is on the country importing these to take responsibility

Should you buy one of these weapons, there are a couple of things you should know and keep in mind, especially if you have bought it for a child. Fired from close range, the bullets coming from these guns can penetrate skin and will definitely blind someone if the bullet enters the eye. These guns are not toys anymore and should be used under strict supervision only.

Gamers who play with these weapons under controlled and safe conditions may enjoy the thrill of shooting at others. But spare a thought for the thousands of innocent victims who may spend a lifetime in fear after running into a toy gun used by a vicious criminal to instill fear.

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