One very important fact to bear in mind is the media is NOT our friend. Media organizations don't exist because of an altruistic desire to educate and inform the world, they're a business whose primary interest is revenue generation. Which headline do you think would tune more viewers or sell more papers:

Airsoft: Sport Of Honor
Players Emulate Soldiers and Reenact Famous Battles

or

Replica Assault Weapons Used To Practice Killing
Pictures of Kids Posing With Guns Circulated on Internet

Fact of the matter is, no one outside of airsoft cares about airsoft. They won't look at our sport and say, "Oh, now there's a bunch of respectful, honest, law-abiding citizens enjoying a unique sport that doesn't hurt anyone. We should embrace them with open arms!" They will look at it and say, "OMG! These guys look and behave like those terrorists they arrested, they did this kind of 'extreme camping' too! They've got army fatigues, semi-auto machine guns with bayonet launchers and laser scopes, and they run around in the woods shooting each other! This is anti-social and dangerous, no one needs guns or to do this kind of activity. Take their stuff away and let them play table tennis."

Sad, but you know it to be true.

Now this isn't to say that we can't get positive media coverage because they do indeed run stories about special interest groups and don't put a negative spin on it. However that kind of exercise needs to be carefully orchestrated and controlled because once you've given a reporter the material they need, you have zero say on how they'll pen their piece. You might score lucky and get a nice article that compares it to paintball (which seems to be a more "accepted" sport, dare I say), or you may have just unwittingly made the front page with the second title mentioned above.

Agreed. Normally I'm all for trying to make Airsoft something a little less fragile by expanding the sport in a way that doesn't give us a bad image... but now is not the time for things like that. Now is more of a "duck and cover" time and letting this all blow over.

In the meantime, I think the best thing we can do is make ourselves look as respectable as possible while keeping away prying eyes. If that means Identity confirmation, big disclaimers, locking the gallery, etc. then I'm all for it. I like this sport far too much to see it get banned.

Has everyone seen this: http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=Bc-6R7jdyaM
It seems pretty fair. Now if only we could spread that image instead of the rather... negative alternative.

That was really good news report, maybe we need something like that here?

+1 on age verification for gallery and pretty much everything

dammit why the guy didnt just shoot himself

It would be rather nice to see some positive spin on it from CTV Newsreport or any other news show.

But we'll unlikely to see any of those guys be interested in these type of story until there's a big buzz in the public about banning airsoft.

Come to think of it, this may end up like the pitbull Ban?

there's a ban on pitbulls?

In the city of Toronto, yup.

I wouldn't mind changing permissions in the gallery to 18+ to view. In fact, that's what I had initially planned to do when the 18+ verifications kicked in. But there were those that thought it might be a bit extreme.

But for sure, it helps keep unwanted people out.

I say 18+/age verified to view the gallery. At least until this all blows over. It would keep the media from getting pictures they could use for nasty headlines.

He did,according to the autopsy, but I'm guessing you mean before he went on a shooting spree.

I'm ok with the 18+ on the gallery for the time being, until this thing blows over (if it does).

Well, I don't think there are any serious attacks by airsoft in the city yet compared to the couple of pitbull accidents they had before they decide to ban pitbulls.

i would easily go to most lengths (i am not kissing a man) to ensure that we keep airsoft.

I heard one shooter was done by suicide, the other from a series of SS190s, some one told me the entry team was using P90s that they saw on CTV, but i assume thats based on assumptions from watching the media.

I have had a disclaimer in my gallery for at least 4 years now. But with all the shit I have added it to my top logo banner.

ASC should have the same thing. just add the line under the logo then it will be on every page every time.