TOC Operation: Crossroads

October 23rd, 2008

So last weekend was Operation: Crossroads put on by TOC at Mission Creek Paintball. For those that missed it and don’t read the forum, and I know that’s not likely, you can find pictures up at http://www.mnairsoft.org/photos/v/Operations/Crossroads/. A big thanks goes out to Junshi, uRizen, and Fatel MistakE for taking the pictures of the weekend.  Also a big thanks goes out to the TOC Crew: Shady and Irish for putting on such a great event. We all look forward to more.

MAA Photo Gallery

September 23rd, 2008

We are happy to annouce that a majority of the Photo Gallery has been restored.  We are actually missing some of the Op photos we used to have.  If you have any of the following photos please let us/me know.

Here are the ones we are missing:
Operation: Challenge Park
Operation: Fallen Six
Operation: Traders Gate.

Also if you have any pictures from SFP or other games the MAA has been to that you would like to add feel free to contact me and I will get you added in as a contributer.

Digital

ERIK’S SAFETY BLOG: 9-18-08

September 18th, 2008

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

2008 SEPTEMBER 20th: SFP OUTDOOR OPEN SESSION

September 17th, 2008

THIS IS AN OPEN SESSION. ALL PLAYERS ALL ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND.
That means anyone 14 years old or above, in good standing with the MAA and Airsoft community (not previously banned or suspended), is welcome to attend our games. This also assumes attendees are willing follow the rules of the site and of the MAA.

Open Session from 2PM to 6PM, Saturday, September 20th. This is an Outdoor Game at the SFP Fields in Buffalo, MN.

NOTES:
- SFP Allows GOGGLES Only. Full Face is ALWAYS Acceptable & Recommended.
- Effective 2008 all players under the age of 18 MUST wear full face protection.
- Wire Mesh Goggles are NO LONGER allowed at MAA Events.

- Non-Member Cost for 4 hours is $20.
- Open Session is from 2-6 PM, please be there early, by 1:00PM preferably.
- Full Face Masks can be Rented/Borrowed from SFP.
- BB’s & Gas will usually be for sale:

To view a copy of our SFP Safety Briefing, please click the following link:
http://forum.mnairsoft.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18682
The MAA does not expect everyone who participates in our games to be fully versed in our rules. That said, the more players know, the faster the safety briefing can be and the smoother things go on field.

*Barrel Blockers will be required for all AEG?s.

Barrel Blockers/Barrel Socks/Barrel Condoms/Barrel Blocking Devices are required for all AEG?s and pistols with no holster. Players that do not have Barrel Blocking devices for their Airsoft guns will be required to; rent one from the MAA for $3, buy one from the MAA for $5, or leave the premises.

This can be the red rubber flash hider sleeve that comes with many Airsoft guns or a paintball version like this:

Image

Homemade Barrel Blockers must be approved by the MAA before they will be allowed. Regular tube socks, gloves, a jacket, your shirt sleeve, stuffing you barrel in a pocket, etc. will not be allowed. Barrel blockers should be an essential piece of safety equipment every Airsoft player should have. Also consider most established Paintball facilities that we play at require it anyway (certainly for indoor) so getting one/a few now will only put you ahead of the game.

Barrel Blockers can be purchased online or at any Paintball retail store (SBI, FSL, etc.).

Players that have pistols without holsters will be required to have a Barrel Blocking device as well.

For guns that you do not plan on using or that stay in your case, Barrel Blocking devices are not necessary but as soon as you bring that gun out, to chrono or play with, it should have a Barrel Blocker affixed.

If you have questions about this, please post them or PM me.

The MAA Has Rental AEG?s available upon PM Reservation. PM me with any questions on Rentals and Availability.

* ALL GUNS MUST BE IN A CASE: We’ve been seeing far to many people lately just walking from their cars to the field with their guns out in the open. Some may argue that since you are at a field of play that it’s not required as that’s the purpose of the site. Frankly, it’s stupid and threatens Airsoft in the state. Get a cheap gun case and put your gun in it. It protects the gun and is far more discreet than a stock hanging out of a backpack.

The MAA requires all Airsoft guns that are brought to our events to be transported in a secure gun case or in a discreet manner. It’s common sense and frankly, if you can’t afford to spend $10-$15 on a decent gun case, you shouldn’t be playing Airsoft….and won’t be playing with the MAA.
*Original boxes with no visible gun references (box top inside out), backpacks or gear bags that are closed and completely mask the contents, or Rubbermaid storage containers will be allowed for now but we would prefer real gun cases and will discuss the topic with those we see without them.

Directions and can be found here:
www.specialforcespaintball.com

Waivers:
Directly from the SFP website.

TOC Event: OP:Crossroads(prelude to war) 10/18/08

September 17th, 2008

ACTS II, III, and IV will be posted on the private forums.

Standard TOC Safety Rules found here:

http://www.tocairsoft.com


FPS LIMIT 365
We need 30 players to register by Sept. 19th to secure the whole field. There are also plans in case we don’t get the whole field, so game-on either way.

Registration:

To register, you need to send a $10 deposit via paypal to

skmidwest@yahoo.com

with the following info (if you are sending a deposit for more than one person, include this info for each person):

Copy and paste:

FULL NAME:
CALL SIGN:
AGE:
CITY YOU LIVE IN:
IS THIS YOUR FIRST AIRSOFT EVENT? Yes or No
HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED WITH THE MAA? Yes or No
NEW BERN or RAVENWOOD (For Ravenwood must meet PreReq):

After you register, you will be granted access to the private forums.

Once you get to the field, there will be a table set up for you to pay ($45). Mission Creek only takes CASH, if need to make other arrangements, you can PM me for details.

Your deposit will be refunded on October 19th via the paypal refund feature and you will get your entire $10 back.

If you fail to show on game-day, or cancel before game day, you will NOT get your deposit back.

I did this fast, so ask questions if I missed something.

Also, Ravenwood should be outnumbered 1.5:1 or 2:1.

Web Site Move

September 17th, 2008

Well as you can see the MAA decided to start to use Word Press as its new main page.  We also moved the entire web site from our old hosting company, Powweb, to our new home here at, GoDaddy.  Please email webmaster@mnairsoft.org or PM Digital if you notice any “strange” or different things happening on the forum or in the main site.  We are slowly bringing things back up online.  We hope to bring the media page back online by the end of this coming weekend.