31 replies to this topic

[Echnalaid]

My brother keeps bugging me to saw the bottom part of my NF (The dart holders) and paint it flat black. i keep telling him a cop will stop me in the middle of a game, and his EXACT words are "Dude, it's a fucking toy, a cop's not going to stop you. You think they're that stupid!? They know what a real gun looks like." Obviously, he's never nerfed. He's a "sneak airsoft guns around the school and say nerf is gay because of it's dumb-fuck range and you have to play closely together and they don't hurt" person. I'm saying it looks like a real gun. So I was thinking on asking the NIC when a cop's stopped you in the middle of a game and asked you about your hopefully not flat black painted blasters. I know this is another "legality" thread, but I just want to hear everyone's experiences. And if someone is really dumb enough to make a nerf blaster look like a real firearm, speak up.

[Rambo]

I would estimate that cops showed up at one in three wars I've attended at Mill Creek ( the once-foremost NJ venue ). I think more times than not this was because of pedestrians reporting us. While I never diffused the situation personally, we've never been asked to leave or anything like that.

Edited by Rambo, 07 September 2008 - 10:12 PM.

[Langley]

That's mostly because people have been nerfing there for seven years and the local police know all about us. I've been to a lot of wars where the local police where less friendly and less familiar with us, and you don't want to fuck around in those situations. There are laws regarding what colors a gun-shaped toy can be and where you can play with something that's more a 'replica' than a 'toy'. If you paint your gun flat black and a cop comes to your nerf war to check out what you're doing, you're going to have a much easier time if everyone's using toys that look like toys. And if you're playing assassin with a black nerf gun or walking around with a duffel bag full of black nightfinders, you're just asking for the sort of hilarious misunderstanding that ends up on the 10 o'clock news.

[doubleshot]

At the latest millcreek war, one of the park rangers came up in a truck, and Varsity, Splitlip, and myself were all standing there. I had a boomstick around my shoulder on a strap, and he asked me what it shot. I replied "foam darts". He asked me to shoot it, not believing me I'd suppose. I shot it towards a tree in the distance, nailing it. He just said carry on, and left. This was right about as Talio pulled in.

[Echnalaid]

you're playing assassin with a black nerf gun or walking around with a duffel bag full of black nightfinders, you're just asking for the sort of hilarious misunderstanding that ends up on the 10 o'clock news.

I am sigging that.

[kdizzle1533]

me and my friends play in this weird triangle shapped shopping center. Its almost like a park with shops, anyways all of our wars start at 9:30pm and have run easily past 12 on many occasions. One night a cop pulled up and got out of his car to use an ATM. My team was sneeking around the bend of a building to find the oter team completely aware of our position. Needless to say we were all killed. The other team said that the cop had pointed and told them where we were. I thought that was pretty cool of the cop to be so playfull. My longshot is currently painted like brushed metal, and my friends have all painted their guns too and we havent had any problems. Just lucky I guess.

[The Inventor Guy]

Any kind of Nerf in any public place at night is asking for police attention.
During a nerf out, we've had police called on us. Road blocks, armed officers, the works. Stage 3'd two guys (Stage 4 is firing the weapon) and basically just said "My bad, continue."
This was a couple of years ago though.
We don't paint our guns, we've got all the bright ones too.
This was at a public school grounds btw.

-Tidge.

[hereticorp]

There was one incident when the cops were called about a game of Zombies Vs Humans that I was involved in, some pedestrians were worried about the "Guns" even though they were clearly orange tagged on the barrels. Some people are a bit too paranoid, the cops laughed.

[Noodleownz]

Sorry for hi-jacking your thread Echnalaid but I got a question. I've recently painted my nigtfinder this color:
http://www.rustoleum...d=1&sid=7920830

Kind of a tan brown.

Do you think the cops will question me if my gun is painted this color, even though it has the orange tip on?

[123caviler]

Sorry for hi-jacking your thread Echnalaid but I got a question. I've recently painted my nigtfinder this color:
http://www.rustoleum...d=1&sid=7920830

Kind of a tan brown.

Do you think the cops will question me if my gun is painted this color, even though it has the orange tip on?

No, if it has an orange tip on it, it could be flat black and they still would be ok with it.

[Aimless]

From my experience in NYC, most people will complain and freak out about anything remotely gun-shaped including Supersoakers. It definitely has to do with the increasing percentage of hoplophobes in positions of power and the constant demonization of anything firearm related by the mass media.

Additional thoughts: I find the fact that some people have an irrational, all-consuming, fear and hate of firearms very distressing because they allow politicians with the same psychological illness(hoplophobia) to strip away our constitutional right to bear arms and defend ourselves and loved ones. However, If anyone is ever going to handle a firearm, please for the love of (insert entity here), have training in the handling and use of firearms, they are dangerous because they are supposed to be. A weak firearm is useless for protection.

Edited by Aimless, 08 September 2008 - 06:13 PM.

[C-A 99]

The public is indeed pretty bad, at least for my area. One time I scheduled a game on a playground; we don't paint our guns nor anything of the sort, and other kids had some. (and wanted to join us) Then, while my team is in a defensive position on one of the 2 play structures, some angry mother comes up and bellows at us to get off. This game just happened to be at the same time of a mass meeting, but people were cussing at us and thinking we were going to shoot the kids. (and would scare some off) We eventually moved over and played somewhere else.

And the worst part is that this was all with water guns, not nerf.

As we're playing along the new area (which was very far from the filling stations), we see some cops and public service cars around the area, though as far as I'm concerned, none of them said a word to me nor my team. (the public service or whoever did talk to someone on the other team though)

Now, imagine how much drama there would've been if we were using (unmodified) black painted nerfs, even if they had the bright muzzles and triggers unpainted.

[BustaNinja]

Dude, parents in MN are stupid. They let their kids play on the stuff while a tower round is going, then we have to stop.

Most we've ever gotten in MN (of the wars I have attended) was a park ranger coming up and telling us that the park had been reserved for the day. We said that if they came, we would move. Guess who never showed up? Needless to say, it was pretty weird.

Oh, we don't get cops, we get KIDS. They decide that they can play because thier parents said so, one almost walked off with Carbon's SNAP, and this weird hispanic guy shot my point blank in the neck with a maxshot. Not something I wanted to ever have happen again.

Dont be a fool. Paint your guns bright colors if you are gonna paint them. No one wants heat from the popo by people who are mil-sim freaks, and I don't want to play with Mil-sim freaks. Messiah is an acceptation. Anyway, you get the idea.

Now, instead of talking about legality, just Nerf. Quoting Groove here ( I think. If not, don't taze me bro)

"Nerf on or fuck off!"

[Llama Boy]

If someone tried to walk away with my SNAP I would shoot him point blank with a plugged titan. And their parents cant tell you that their kids can play. Just say that you dont have any extra guns, or just tell them no.

The worst I ever got from a cop was last year when a cop came and actually played with us .

[Aimless]

Oh, we don't get cops, we get KIDS. They decide that they can play because thier parents said so, one almost walked off with Carbon's SNAP, and this weird hispanic guy shot my point blank in the neck with a maxshot. Not something I wanted to ever have happen again.

Haha, I've had problems with people trying to take blasters before, needless to say, my group carries singled Big Blasts with 2ft barrels at 30 pumps for that reason only. It might seem excessive but I believe that if my property is threatened I should have the right to use excessive even lethal force.

Edited by Aimless, 08 September 2008 - 06:55 PM.

[Echnalaid]

Same with kids for me, too. At Silencer's small NJ war, we we're playing a 2 fort siege round and a slew of kindergartners took over and stole our fort. But they were helpful somewhat by picking up some stray darts. Also, a bunch of 17 year old drugees who were sitting in a table next to our set up table where we place our not in use blasters, but the thing is they didn't say anything. They just snickered and and thought, "Wow. Why are those teenager fags playing Nerf with GOGGLES?!" The thing I hate is people who don't say what they are thinking about that you know they want to say that.

Edited by Echnalaid, 08 September 2008 - 10:18 PM.

[doubleshot]

The thing I hate is people who don't say what they are thinking that.

Thinking is a right.
I think I may paint the singled RFSG I got. It could very well be mistaken for a gun, by someone who's never seen one to begin with.

[bartel]

Here's what I have to say:
Play in a small town, or in an neighborhood inhabited entirely by senior citizens. It works for me.

[nat]

One time I was at a friends birthday and we were being ass's and shooting houses and a cop came down the alley we were In So we threw our guns In a bush and hid under a car. So dodnt shoot house downtown at 12:30 at night. That was scary.

[NerfCrazy]

The worst that has happened to me is at a nerf war a cop drove down a walking/biking/skating path and slowed down by us, I thought he was going to get out and question us. That was a bit freaky.

[Groove]

I've had to diffuse a couple potentially rough situations at one point or another. DCNO has had a couple cops show up, but that's because someone tripped the alarm when they went inside to use the toilet. The other times constituted of bystanders or local people walking through, concerned that we were shooting "paintball" or "airsoft" guns on school property. Nine times out of ten, the cops have been cool once you politely show them what it is you're doing, explain that nobody is in any real danger, and you're fine.

The only time I really got nervous was when I had one cop walk past me when I greeted him, totally ignoring me - then proceeded to the DCNO group and loudly demanded what we were all doing there. He was fine once we showed him our stuff, important note to call them "blasters" not guns, and test-fired them for him to see. He said something along the lines of "well hell, you all ain't hurtin' nothing, so I'll leave you all be."

The only time I've been kicked off property as a result for Nerfing was at Armageddon in 2005, and that was because some dumbass climbed on top of the roof of the school to shoot at people. You're just asking for police intervention when you do stupid shit like that. Luckily it was near stop time, and my $500 plane ticket wasn't wasted on behalf of a disphit maneuver from someone else.

The lesson here is don't be a fucktard. If I'm running a war, mil-sim paintjobs and camouflage are big no-no's, as are trenchcoats and paintball gear. Most of the places we Nerf are in public places, just use your head.


-Groove

[slowguitarman]

I have never been questioned by the cops for nerfing, but I have been questioned about many other things, and as long as you are polite and tell the cops exactly what you"re doing, they are usually cool with it (unless of course you were actually doing something wrong). Most of the time I get questioned is because of my pocket rocket. My friends and I would ride it around a parking lot at the WVU engineering campus at like midnight, and one cop stopped and asked us about it. She thought it was so cool that she had another set of offices come and check it out. Like Groove said, just don't do anything stupid and you'll be fine.

[AJZ]

.

Edited by AJZ, 13 July 2014 - 06:54 PM.

[Mod Man]

This might not fit the discussion but it is named "through a cops eyes". In the past two years I have sent out nerf packages ( 10-20 guns and a bunch of ammo ) to a doz. or so police dept. around the country. Seems like the same as with everyone else shooting the foam helps reduce the everyday stress in a cops life. I've even sent packages to Langley on occasion. Just thought I'd mention it, all types and ages do the nerf thing.
Mod

[Llama Boy]

Woah.So you give out free guns? Heck send me a dozen please!