concerned parent

[plncrzy]

In answer to the question; My son is 15. I think he must have read these posts cause we went for a walk tonight and seemed really cool to the idea of waiting a while until he is old enough to get into it himself.

I suggested that he and I rent equipment and try it out somewhere with his buddies.

He is in air cadets and apparently has many cadet friends that would love to do this, ranging in age from 15 to 18. I suggested the cadet squadron rent out a club for a day, but apparently there are too many parents on the committee who who are against guns in any way shape or form.

Thanks for all the info!

[ShelledPants]

Originally Posted by plncrzy

In answer to the question; My son is 15. I think he must have read these posts cause we went for a walk tonight and seemed really cool to the idea of waiting a while until he is old enough to get into it himself.

I suggested that he and I rent equipment and try it out somewhere with his buddies.

He is in air cadets and apparently has many cadet friends that would love to do this, ranging in age from 15 to 18. I suggested the cadet squadron rent out a club for a day, but apparently there are too many parents on the committee who who are against guns in any way shape or form.

Thanks for all the info!

I've been cadre to an event like this: where a cadet corps has rented a club for a day of training. Went well. Very disciplined.

[Barbie]

I will tell a story i heard from another player... A parent wanted his son to play with airsoft, so my friend invited the dad over, told him to stand some feet away, dont remeber how much , about 30 i think, and shot him in the back with his Ak... The parent now understood that 350fps is pretty painful, and decided against his son playing with that in the wood with little ski goggles... I would suggest maybe meeting with a Age verifyer or something, or showing up to a game, you, the parent, not the kid, to see what its really like, and how well equipped we are to get shot at...

[RaisinBran]

Originally Posted by plncrzy

I suggested the cadet squadron rent out a club for a day, but apparently there are too many parents on the committee who who are against guns in any way shape or form.

Thanks for all the info!

That is just way too Ironic, also i'm 15 and so from 15-year-old's advice, when/if you get a gun, buy a bag and a gun lock/trigger lock. And keep it away from him unless he has your permission, teenagers can go a little trigger happy.

I have experience. Anyway, what I would do in your position is first go and have a game with you and your son, at a local club. Just have a father-son sort of thing and if you both like it, get age-verified here.

[Eeyore]

Originally Posted by plncrzy

Thanks for that, its what I suspected. I just needed you guys/gals to write it so I could show my son.

I am all for him to try this out but ONLY at a club in a designated area. He is a typical Teen who believes that he knows whats legal and whats not. I remeber being his age and believing that I knew more than parents did (sometimes I did) ... but in this case I was pretty certain about the rules/regs and just wanted to have some backup data to show him before I let him go out and buy some gear.

If he is interested in the sport, we (the comminuty) advise you wait until he is 18+ before purchasing an airsoft gun. That being said it is never too early for your son to join this forum and start to learn about safety and strategy. In fact it is highly recommended to join this community and ask questions before starting to play.

Once again thank you for your concern regarding this matter. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask then on this forum.

[L473ncy]

Originally Posted by plncrzy

In answer to the question; My son is 15. I think he must have read these posts cause we went for a walk tonight and seemed really cool to the idea of waiting a while until he is old enough to get into it himself.

I suggested that he and I rent equipment and try it out somewhere with his buddies.

He is in air cadets and apparently has many cadet friends that would love to do this, ranging in age from 15 to 18. I suggested the cadet squadron rent out a club for a day, but apparently there are too many parents on the committee who who are against guns in any way shape or form.

Thanks for all the info!

I kind of have a beef with cadets just letting you know. It's a good program and all but for some reason it attracts a lot of people who are tools and just plain assholes to everyone else. I'm going to admit I was in it and I had a great time however one of the downsides was people constantly being assholes to me and my friends. There is a time and a place for that kind of attitude like emergency situations when you have to take control however it was constant berating and just being a total douche about shit like how we're supposed to be "responsible" and need to act our age/rank/level or how "we're 'young adults'" yet they feel the need to hold our hands everywhere we go). Sorry but that's the way I feel about that stuff (and about the CPU update I don't feel anything for it, it's probably a good thing IMO from what I'm hearing from my brothers).

Now that I've ground that axe.... maybe it's best to get in contact with a local club and do this in a safe and controlled environment (if the club allows this). Filling in your profile might help us in directing you to a local club otherwise at the top of the information bar there is a "community" drop down menu that you can look at the major clubs in the region who have their own local forums.

[BGrail25]

Originally Posted by RaisinBran

That is just way too Ironic, also i'm 15 and so from 15-year-old's advice, when/if you get a gun, buy a bag and a gun lock/trigger lock. And keep it away from him unless he has your permission, teenagers can go a little trigger happy.

Not always true. I'm 16 and I don't recall going crazy with any type of weapon. My parents (my Dad in particular) raised me to treat any shooting gun as a weapon, not a toy. Not saying anything to you in particular, but not all teens are pot-smoking COD obsessed gun fanatics .

But yeah do what you feel is right for him, you probably know him better than I do...

[RaisinBran]

Originally Posted by BGrail25

Not always true. I'm 16 and I don't recall going crazy with any type of weapon. My parents (my Dad in particular) raised me to treat any shooting gun as a weapon, not a toy. Not saying anything to you in particular, but not all teens are pot-smoking COD obsessed gun fanatics .

But yeah do what you feel is right for him, you probably know him better than I do...

True not ALL teens. but it's best to be on the safe side right?

I rememember a year ago, some kid brought a gun to my friends school..and everyone says it was an Airsoft gun and my parents like raged at me and locked mine away.

[Ronan]

Nice to see a good parent for once. Seem we are in short supply those days.

Kudos to you.

[Dart]

I am a little bit confused... your son is a cadet.... and parents are against weapons of any kind? ......... doesn't anyone else find this kind of ironic/backassward?

[venture]

Originally Posted by Dart

I am a little bit confused... your son is a cadet.... and parents are against weapons of any kind? ......... doesn't anyone else find this kind of ironic/backassward?

+1
You beat me to it, I was just going to write what you wrote. It is ironic to put someone in a quasi-military organization and be against guns of any kind.

[plncrzy]

Lots of Parents want their son/daughter to be a cadet for the disciplining/training etc without the guns aspect.. I kind of agree with you.. yes its sort of back-asswards.

We live in Richmond Ontario (just outside Ottawa).

[ratnest]

when i was in cadets we shot once or twice a year; it wasn't a priority for them, unless you joined the range team.

cadets was also a great way to learn about sucking up, nepotism, and politics; as clicks and family members tended to get promoted together.

[knightoice]

Yes, not a lot of people were exactly pro-guns there. In the end I ended up going mostly for range and skipped the rest of the Mondays as a bad NCO

On topic, if you want to join the sport with your son, that's cool. Unfortunately there are not a lot of fields who will take teenagers at age 16. If you do find one in the area, I'd consider renting out a gun and gear. That way, you can try out the sport with a quality gun, and if you both decide to wait till he is 18 you haven't invested $X on gear that may be improved or rendered obsolete in those years. If you do buy an airsoft gun though, I'd keep it in some sort of lock or case away from him. I know the types of thoughts I would get if I was home along with an AEG. Last year at my high school, some kid brought an airsoft gun to school and threatened to shoot someone. A full black Colt 1911 springer. Needless to say he got arrested.

[DaRkCoMmAnDo]

Originally Posted by Dart

I am a little bit confused... your son is a cadet.... and parents are against weapons of any kind? ......... doesn't anyone else find this kind of ironic/backassward?

Remember though, these are AIR cadets were talking about. They push buttons, not pull triggers.

I guess their parents see dropping a 500lb AGM not bad as putting two in the chest and one in the head.