I get suggestions...
"Let people play with their own paint." I get this one every week. This player probably doesn't know why theater popcorn costs $5 a bucket either. I doubt I could explain.
"Let people use their own paintball gun even if they don't have a safety if they know how to use it." I have no idea how to answer this one, either. It leaves me speechless. So I'm going to put it up in the form of a poll. It's "yes" or "no". You get it or you don't. (Let's ignore the fact that for insurance reasons every gun must have a working safety.)
11 comments:
Just out of curiosity, when do you make players use their safety? We make everyone uncock their marker (or turn off the electronics if there is nothing to uncock) and use a barrel sock when not on the playing field. Although a safty would be a third barrier for accidental shooting (and I guess more is better in this case), I find I can't trust people to not fiddle with them and they are too small to see at a distance, so I can't see if they are on or not anyway.
Our insurance company has no mention of "safeties".
You're right, the safety is hard to see. That's why we rely on the gun plug/sock as the first line of defense. But before we give a player a rental we show them how to turn the safety on and off and we check them as they come off the field. A safety is still a basic function of any gun so we choose to include it.
What if it's a pump gun?
My sterling is my most used marker, and it's the only one (not counting electro's) i have that does NOT have a safety.
That's a good question. What is your answer?
I would say yes.
Also any semi auto that you could decock manually.
Or if you had an on/off and shut off the air source and emptied out the air from the gun after rounds.
I'd say any type of effective barrel sock trumps any type of safety.
Using ones brain is more effective than using a mechanical safety. Many of us have problems using that brain, hence the mechanical safety =)
We will have to agree to disagree.
Every marker here at T-Square must have a working safety. I still see a System X Autococker now and then. Beside being an insult to Bud Orr it's ridiculous to turn out a marker without something as basic as a safety. Kinda like the Spyder Special Edition that came out with no trigger guard.
I don't doubt that you personally are the safest player in the world. But who can tell about the next knucklehead that shows up without a safety? Can I trust him to not launch a round into the back of his buddies head while he is decocking or putting his barrel blocker on? Do I let you use a gun with no safety and tell him he can't?
Sure, with a safety there is still a 50% chance that the safety is not on. But without a safety the chances are 100%. Field insurance is nothing but Vegas gambling. You want to do everything you can to keep the odds in your favor.
I don't want to drag this out but I wonder what the rule is at your field? Or are you a backyard player?
Okay, let's try this. You park your car on a hill. Do you jump out and chock the wheels hoping the car will not start rolling before you get there or do you set the parking brake first and then jump out to chock the tires?
But couldn't that System X cocker easily be decocked and thus act as a safety? (well... until the next trigger pull, i suppose). Well, moving on (as i'm sure neither one of us is going to change our views on safety's and their need), i most regularly play at Velocity paintball in Ramona, CA (actually, you posted a video shot on their field not too long ago), and they too require all guns to have a safety, but i've never been told i couldn't use my sterling. I don't think i've ever had one of my guns checked by their staff to see if it has a safety or not, though.
Now my question to you: Do you or your referee's go through each gun that player bring to ensure that it has a safety and that it is in working order? Or do you just post this rule in hopes that people read your signs and dont bring the offending guns? Because i'm pretty sure it would be VERY time consuming to check every player's guns to make sure they have a properly working safety switch.
Every gun is checked at the chrono by the chrono ref - even our rentals. Shame on Ramona...
Ok, Mick has known me for years and I'm sure will agree with me. The safety is there for a reason; use it or don't play. To quote him, "You can follow the rules or get off my field." I can't tell you how many times I have seen things happen where the safety has been off and we have seen gun plugs go flying through the air, or paint splatter because the gun plug was there to stop the round. I don't understand why anyone would even try to argue this fact. Would you run around with a round in a live weapon without the safety on? Would you drive without brakes in a vehicle? Murphy is always around and you have to fend him off. I mean come on, this person should have never even asked the question. I hope this was not a Veteran player that put this remark in.
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