This community's financial weight

[gunscythe]

I agree. It's cheaper and easier for me to buy restricted guns legally. So...uh...I do that instead.

[mcguyver]

I will commit whatever time, energy or money I can spare.

[Janus]

Originally Posted by Zilgorn_Zeypher

I'd quite willingly pay that fee

I wouldn't. I wouldn't mind an initial fee to register, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay to own something I, you know, already own.

[mcguyver]

I pay for my care every year.

And I don't enjoy it nearly as much as my airsoft guns.

Besides there is no fee for PAL renewal, and you need that to continue to own the guns you already own. I don't see much chance of a fee.

[chester]

I'd put a couple hundred in per year in order to legitimize the sport (eg, for a license). In fact I think there should be a bit of a barrier to entry, and to buy a gun, otherwise every joe-shmoe that wants to shootem'up in the backyard (or worse) will pick one up. It's ok right now while airsoft is basically underground, but if it were totally legal and got popular with the masses it might get messy.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by chester

I'd put a couple hundred in per year in order to legitimize the sport (eg, for a license). In fact I think there should be a bit of a barrier to entry, and to buy a gun, otherwise every joe-shmoe that wants to shootem'up in the backyard (or worse) will pick one up. It's ok right now while airsoft is basically underground, but if it were totally legal and got popular with the masses it might get messy.

Not to fire up the old debate again, but the licensing and registration would pretty much take care of that. The average punk kid who wants a cheap springer to look more thugalicious in the schoolyard isn't going to be getting a license or paying fees.

With registration, it would be difficult for anyone to pass stuff on to him under the table; at least you have some minor amount of trackable accountability.

As for popularity with the masses, as long as its properly controlled I don't see a problem to it; limiting its popularization for fear of what a few idiots might do, in that specific context, would be akin to wanting to ban all [real steel] handguns because someone might use one to commit a robbery.

[Kuro_Neko]

Originally Posted by Drake

As for popularity with the masses, as long as its properly controlled I don't see a problem to it; limiting its popularization for fear of what a few idiots might do, in that specific context, would be akin to wanting to ban all [real steel] handguns because someone might use one to commit a robbery.

The problem is that's exactly what the soccer moms want to do to real steel. Right now the majority of the soccer moms have never heard of airsoft, and they can't protest what they don't know about. But once it gets in the media, and that's what would have to happen if we wanted to legalize it, they'd all get up in arms about it and probably would get airsoft banned altogether (since airsoft doesn't have the support that real steel does).

edit: Not that I'm against it persay, we just have to have a solid plan. We go off half-cocked and the soccer moms will bury us.

Kuro_Neko

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Kuro_Neko

The problem is that's exactly what the soccer moms want to do to real steel. Right now the majority of the soccer moms have never heard of airsoft, and they can't protest what they don't know about. But once it gets in the media, and that's what would have to happen if we wanted to legalize it, they'd all get up in arms about it and probably would get airsoft banned altogether (since airsoft doesn't have the support that real steel does).

edit: Not that I'm against it persay, we just have to have a solid plan. We go off half-cocked and the soccer moms will bury us.

Kuro_Neko

Well I wasn't talking about taking it to the media, dunno where that came from. Just taking airsoft to the media for the sake of bringing exposure to ourselves amounts to painting a target on our backs; I've never been for that sort of thing, or "educating the public."

I was referring only to Chester's comment about what happens if airsoft becomes available to the masses, with regards to Licensing, and within that context only (which presumes that politically and legally, airsoft has been "accepted" and legalized the same as paintball for example)

[Conker]

I'm still underage and will be a student within the time I turn 18, but as others said I'd be willing to find some money to put it for the cause if, as others said, there as a reasonable plan of action with at least *a possibility* of success.

Else I'm gonna live in France, lol.

[cbcsteve]

Money helps get the ball rolling.

But how will you stop people like David Miller from closing down accident-free gun ranges? People like that see guns = bad = no votes = no power

Money can talk but winning them votes is their currency. Votes and vast public support = power = they can do what they want.

Thats how lobbyist do it, they know that showing how well their product would benefit the economy does not hold as much weight as showing the government how much votes or public support they will get if they support the company.

So how will the government win public support from supporting us?

[The Saint]

We've gone over the political aspects many times and it's not what I'm asking. So let's try to keep the political commentary to a minimum?

[dragwindsor]

What The Saint is asking is, if shit went down and we were ALL to contribute money, what would be the total sum or power, as a whole. This is a non-political query.....y'all.

[chester]

Thing is, I live in soccer mom land myself (and my daughter plays soccer so I guess I'm married to one too) so I know it's a perception thing. That's why, in our house, I bought a cheap Crappy Tire safe to keep the heat away from the neighborhood kids. Out of sight, out of mind.

When I mentioned the media, it's because the gun issue already is in the media almost everyday. In Toronto (with other cities to follow later I'm sure), the mayor has been pushing to close firing ranges, even safe ones that have never had a problem, which is basically all of them. Right now Airsoft is like gays in the US military, "don't ask don't tell". But Airsoft guns look like real steel, so they could easily get swept into any type of strict legislation. Really it's a combo of a PR campaign ("it's just a fun/safe game!") and government lobbying that would be needed. Which I think would be crazy expensive. So hopefully the gun lobby will be strong enough to keep the strongest legislation at bay. And maybe all the people cut off from the firing ranges will end up at CAPS

[chester]

Your original question is how much money do we have. I think the answer is 'it depends' ... on what the money is for. The problem, and therefore the solution, is a political one, so that will always come up.

We've gone over the political aspects many times and it's not what I'm asking. So let's try to keep the political commentary to a minimum?

[The Saint]

I think you're mixing a reluctance to contribute based on cynicism about the process with what I'm asking, which is how much one'd be willing to contribute if they believed money could facilitate the necessary change?