Potatos - Patatos...

You might notice a bit of multiple personality disorder on my part when it comes to writing about paintball guns/markers.

Is it a gun? Or is it better to use the more politically correct term "marker"?

I tend to use both depending on my mood. I've even been known to use both in the same sentence. I should probably stop being so wishy-washy and take a stand on one or the other. While I've never been much of a PC fan just for the sake of being PC I really feel I lean more toward "marker".

And probably for the same reason I prefer "HIT" or "TAGGED" instead of "SHOT" and "PAINTBALLS" instead of "BULLETS". It would be easy to say, "Who cares. It doesn't matter either way," but deep inside I think it does matter.

Perhaps I should be more concerned with what I consider the latest threat to paintball's image. Markers use to be called Spyders and Custom 98's or at the very worst, scary names like Intimidator or Piranha. Now they're called "T68 AK47", "TAC5-Recon" or "Spec-Ops Blackcell" manufactured by companies with names like Pusuit Combat Systems, Special Ops Paintball or Armotech.

I would say this is the NEWEST threat to paintball's image only we battled (pardon the pun)the bad "mercenaries in training" image over 20 years ago.

Anyone who remembers will tell you we didn't win that battle but rather both sides limped away agreeing to a cease fire. Light skirmishes have broken out since then with one town or county or state or another banning paintball "weapons" from their fair locale. I fear history will point to MIL-SIM as being the first shot that broke the truce.

Can anyone say, "Forced, knee jerk, left wing, gun(marker) legislation?"