So today we had a kid come on the boards and begin proposing a whole slew of illegal activities.
Specifically, he wanted to know if anyone wanted to play Airsoft with him, in the city limits, in a public park, at night. His rationale for playing at night was so he wouldn’t get caught breaking the law.
This is a city, mind you, where discharge of airguns is illegal, and they also have a “facsimile firearms” ordinance, making uncased possession of an Airsoft gun in public highly illegal.
As I expected, our membership stepped in and informed him, several times, that what he wanted to do was illegal, dangerous, and just plain wrong.
When it became clear that he didn’t care, I locked the thread. He responded with a rather childish and abusive PM, which got him banned from all MAA Events and this message board.
Let’s make something perfectly clear about illegal street games:
If you think illegal play is cool or even okay, then the MAA is no place for you. We’re not interested in any activity that could result in the participants:
Getting shot and killed or seriously wounded by responding law enforcement.
In 1996, just this happened to a kid in Minneapolis who was playing with an Airsoft gun. Responding police blasted him with a 12-gauge shotgun, and paralyzed him from the waist down. He’ll spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. The officer who shot him was ruled to be justified, and he lost a lawsuit against the city.
Getting arrested and charged with a crime of violence.
The penalties here are numerous. Spending time in jail, even if the charges are dismissed, is guaranteed to be unpleasant. One problem with jail is you don’t get to choose your roommates. A couple of years ago, a man arrested for a minor traffic violation was murdered in a county jail. Whenever you get yourself put in jail, you face terrible personal risk.
Any violation of a “facsimile firearm” ordinance is a crime of violence. This means that, if you are convicted, you can not legally possess firearms, which includes Airsoft (see Minnesota Statutes 624.713). This applies to juvenile offenses as well as adults, and bans you from gun ownership for the rest of your life. This means no hunting, no shooting, no Airsoft…FOREVER.
And let’s not forget the original offense. Penalties vary for violations from probation to fines to imprisonment. You will certainly have your Airsoft guns and gear (mags, tactical gear, everything) confiscated and destroyed.
Damaging the Airsoft community as a whole.
Every time someone does something illegal with an Airsoft gun, they endanger the thousands of legitimate Airsoft players in Minnesota and across the country. In 2006 several municipalities in Minnesota passed laws restricting the transportation and public possession of Airsoft guns. This was done in response to illegal activity such as “street” and “backyard” games, as well as the guns being used in violent crime and acts of vandalism.
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul – who have passed facsimile firearms laws – have stated they will lobby the legislature for a statewide law. The MAA is spending a lot of time, money, and effort preparing to deal with this; illegal and irresponsible play is not going help our case.
Think about it: do YOU want to be the person responsible for Airsoft being banned?
IF YOU HAVE MADE MISTAKES IN THE PAST, IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO COME CLEAN.
The MAA welcomes Airsoft players from everywhere in Minnesota (and other states), and we’re proud to provide players with regularly scheduled games at legal, sanctioned, and insured playing fields. If you want to play safely and legally - what’s past is past. You are welcome to join us!
But make no mistake – if you want to play Airsoft illegally, and you don’t see the damage you are doing, then you are NOT welcome on this board, and you are NOT welcome at MAA events!
If you can’t keep yourself from playing in the street, please throw your Airsoft guns into the nearest deep body of water and take up Nerf. You can play Nerf almost anywhere.
Stay safe!
/Erik
