[Kosh]

Any of this sound familiar?

The German government says it plans to ban combat games such as paintball, in response to a recent school shooting.

The new measures being proposed to parliament also include tighter gun control rules and give officials the right to conduct checks on gun owners.

Anyone defying the proposed new rule could face a 5,000-euro (£4,474) fine.

Sixteen people, including the gunman, were killed in the school shooting in March. Relatives of the victims say the new measures do not go far enough.

This sounds like the "let's ban violent video games" debate in the US.

[Flipside]

Always confuses me, how are paint-guns or Video Games different to Cap-guns and toy Bows of 20 years ago? The five 'Olympiad' sports are ALL based on weaponry, should we ban those too?

[karajorma]

Always confuses me, how are paint-guns or Video Games different to Cap-guns and toy Bows of 20 years ago?

I'd say that paintball guns are actually less violent. Sure they hurt like buggery when you get hit but give a bunch of kids pop guns and sooner or later....

Kid 1: I shot you!
Kid 2: No. I shot you, you're dead!
Kid 1: No. I shot you first!
(Fight ensues)

[Dilmah G]

 

*Reminisces*

This is just people who have no real grounding in psychology or video games spouting garbage to make it look like they're doing something. Paintball is a team-sport rather than a combat sport in my opinion, especially using Tippmann 98s, because you need to close the distance to about 10-20 metres to get a good hit, which requires team-work to get close. What these people don't realise is that when you actually play these sports on a regular basis (speaking from experience), it's really team oriented rather than trying to fill them with lead, although "war stories" are cool, and the people who do actually go in there with no intention of team-work are the ones who end up rather sore with no recorded hits on any other players.

[Flipside]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVuTufXPxZY&feature=channel

Thought this was appropriate somehow

[The E]

IIRC, German laws are already pretty restrictive concerning Paintball as a whole. You need to be 18 or older to buy a gun, games can only take place in dedicated areas. Back in 2000, there was a study trying to determine whether playing paintball has any effect on the players social interactions (predictably, it came up negative).
This is again a case of legislators not knowing anything about the things they're trying to legislate, and believing in the existence of acceptable targets.

There is also an ugly thing called "Wehrsportgruppen" around here, Germany's equivalent of the US' crazy right-wing militias, and to the uninformed, there are at least some paralles between the two.

[colecampbell666]

I think paintball should be outright banned along with video games. Look at today's and yesterday's society, they've been causing violence even before their conception, the simple act of fantasizing about video games years ago would cause huge massacres. It's like they can travel time, and I don't think it's a good thing.

[Flipside]

Exactly, if it hadn't been for playing the Attila the Hun simulator, Attila the Hun would never have invaded vast tracts of the world...

[Herra Tohtori]

And damn those Total War games...

[blackhole]

Oh no, a violent act that reflects poorly against our nations image! QUICK, FIND A SCAPEGOAT.

[Dilmah G]

*Points to Iran*

[BengalTiger]

Ever see paintball/airsoft players (or fans) have brutal fights with each other or with cops?

Now what about soccer (for Europe: Football)? 

[karajorma]

Yeah but with football it's a hardcore minority who are violent and spoiling it for the majority. While with paintball....um.....er......

[colecampbell666]

Read Dilmah's post, that's pretty much my take on it, it's a manlier version of tag. Most of us who play are intelligent, indeed you rarely get the unsavory types playing paintball.

[esarai]

I've got a better idea: Instead of banning violent stuff, why don't we ban violent parents, mmMh? People who do shoot up schools are usually psychologically unstable, and they get that from their usually abusive parents.

Ban violent/abusive parents, stop another school shooting.

[Rodo]

I love paintball!!! and this measure seems way too overreacted.
So people who normally play this kind of sport will be left without it just because some kid got crazy and shoot everyone?
madness has been always around, the problem is that kids have access to dangerous guns, what was that kid doing with a gun dammit, have they even considerated making guns illegal??

You can blame video games, tv programs, or the teletubies for what matters... but the real deal is the person itself, the problems that person faces and how it responds to them.
And yes.. I completely agree with you here:

This is again a case of legislators not knowing anything about the things they're trying to legislate, and believing in the existence of acceptable targets.

and I tell you what is next... this topic will be used by them to get reelected

[Blue Lion]

How do you ban kids playing war? 

[Dilmah G]

Exactly, kids have been running after each other in a simulation of armed/un-armed conflict since the dawn of time. It's human nature really. I've been playing video-games simulating death (althought not very graphically) since I was about 6 years old (Combat Flight Simulator, no gore, no nothing, just light-hearted .50 rounds in every direction ), started playing hard-core shooters (by comparison) like Halo at 9 years, though not very regularly at all, and got an Xbox 360 for Christmas when I was 12 with GRAW, and I'm not *that* much of a psychopath, most of it's genetic . As has been said before, it's dependent on the person and their experiences.

[Charismatic]

I went paintballing once. It was the best fun iv had in years. Banning VG and PBG's are retarted and legislators need a talkin to by the next insane gunman. Wrather them than school kids.

And i love BB gunz and other such equiptment. I never went lazertaging unfortunately.

I own a Pro 77 Co2 powered airgun. I want to buy the T4 Opts. www.crosman.com
Im pro gunz.

[Blue Lion]

If we remove all video games, violent games, violent shows and such, our kids will never commit violence!

It's inconceivable that violence and anger are normal human reactions that come from things like problems with relationships or at school/work, problems in your community like crime or poverty, stress, emotional disorders etc etc etc.

It's obviously due to us having pretend war games!