Paintball

The only time you can say Ð'ÐŽÐ'oYeah, I slid into the brick, super manned the snake, and bunkered the DoritoÐ'ÐŽÐ'± and not look completely idiotic is in the wonderful world of paintball. We have almost our own language, and small communities out at the fields and pro shops. Life-long friends meet, and newcomers are welcomed. But to say paintball is a danger and a hazard to society is wrong. ThatÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs generalizing the entire sport. ThereÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs also tons of safety used, and the slang term Ð'ÐŽÐ'ogunsÐ'ÐŽÐ'± doesnÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їt make the sport hazardous.

At fields and facilities, safety is practices and is also viewed as a must. No one is allowed on the fields without a full-face mask. You are also not allowed to take it off while on the field at any time. That way, eye and face injuries are prevented.

Barrel plugs (pushed inside the barrel), and barrel condoms (slid over the outside of the barrel) must be on barrels at all times in the staging area to prevent any accidental shooting.

Paintball is handicapped by a huge injury taboo ---- one that exists in the public mind, but not in the statistics. Supposedly, paintball has a HUGE eye injury rate caused by careless kids playing in their backyards and doing nothing in the way of safety. Well, fear not my friends, this has been proven untrue. Paintball has one of the lowest injury rates out of all sports, even running, tennis, and golf. Research has declared that only 0.2 injuries per 1,000 exposures have somewhat serious injuries. Among the highest are tackle football, soccer, running, and basketball. So no more taboo?

The only thing that truly relates to a gun on the paintball markers is the trigger. Almost all of the parts on paintball markers are interchangeable, whereas on a real gun, they arenÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їt. Paintball markers are also extremely hard to use as a murder weapon.

The fps (feet per second) on the markers is set to 270 or lower to prevent any serious injuries. That way, the most that can result from a single shot is a minor bruise. Paintballs also break very easily, so itÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs not like Goliath himself is hurling rocks at you at 270 feet per second.

The drive-by shootings with paintball markers should