35 replies to this topic

[ScoutsIX3]

I just saw a story on 7 News, Boston, about two teens who decided that it would be fun to shoot construction workers with nerf guns from their car. They hit one worker in the face, before driving away. The construction workers followed them to a parking lot, and in the ensuing confrontation, the driver backed over a worker's leg, breaking it. The teens were arrested and charged with assault and battery. The news anchor emphasized the nerf involvement.

Here's a link from another news service.
News Story

Edited by ScoutsIX3, 19 July 2011 - 10:37 PM.

[PVC Arsenal 17]

It's always a shame when things like this give innocent hobbies a bad name, but I am glad to see the kids are getting punished. That sort of thing is not acceptable.

[Wickbuddy]

I can see how he hurt him and got charged for that, but can you get charged for shooting someone with a STOCK nerf gun?

[dajstafarian]

It only takes a couple of idiots with nothing better to do to mess up the reputation of the entire NIC. Thanks for posting this. It really enlightened me as to the consequences of our own actions. Hopefully, others will view it in the same manner and NOT messup like these guys.

[SonReeceSonJensen]

I can see how he hurt him and got charged for that, but can you get charged for shooting someone with a STOCK nerf gun?

Most people don't know that NOT stock is an option, and won't differentiate between Respectfully NIC members and stupid fucks with "guns". Nothing we can do but use good judgment in public.

[dajstafarian]

I can see how he hurt him and got charged for that, but can you get charged for shooting someone with a STOCK nerf gun?

They saw it as a "dangerous weapon" for some reason. But you are right, it is fairly harmless to us, but the dude could have seen it as a threat or something. Gee, I wonder what they would say if the kid shot the bloke with a singled titan....

[Strikemod]

They saw it as a "dangerous weapon" for some reason. But you are right, it is fairly harmless to us, but the dude could have seen it as a threat or something. Gee, I wonder what they would say if the kid shot the bloke with a singled titan....

If a stock gun was a "dangerous weapon", then a singled titan would be a fucking apocalypse!
Sorry nerf. You will be regulated badly and you know it. Now wheres my sharpie... Writing 'Not a nerf gun' on my damn Big Blast Xo

[dizzyduck]

Throwing an empty beer can at someone can be considered "assault". Throwing at their head can be considered "assault with intent to injure". The law doesn't care whether you hurl a rock or a koosh ball at someone; it's all considered assault.

[Roger Explosion]

The whole article reeks of bias against Nerf guns, and not to teens being dumb. Almost like the Nerf guns possessed the teens to commit criminal activity. That's what's wrong with people these days, they can't be held accountable to their actions, just blame the harmless toys for their actions. (yeah, thats a bit of a stretch, but I had to say it)

[evilbunnyo]

If you read the charges he's charged with assualt and battery with a deadly weapon refering to the nerf gun. And yes its completely biased. Just because they used a TOY gun and shot people doesn't mean that it was nerfs fault. Plus nerf didn't make the kid run over the guys leg. Never do they mention if the kids were on drugs or drunk or anything else only that a NERF gun was the sorce of the problem. And that is why we get looked down upon.

[Amp]

This is stupid, it makes people like us look bad when were only having fun with our hobby. Deadly Weapon? No, it should be assult or weapon, but not deadly weapon.

(Spell check doesn't work for me.)

[meatballica]

I believe the assualt with a deadly weapon is referring(sp?) to the car that ran over the construction worker's leg. It's the only thing that could be considered deadly in the whole ordeal.

[ScoutsIX3]

I believe the assualt with a deadly weapon is referring(sp?) to the car that ran over the construction worker's leg. It's the only thing that could be considered deadly in the whole ordeal.

Correct. The assault with a deadly weapon refers to the car, but the assault and battery charge refers to the nerf gun incident.

[evilbunnyo]

If you read it they are first charged with asualt with a deadly weapon I.E gun then they are charged with assualt and driving to injure. There fore the deadly weapon is referring to the nerf gun.

[taerKitty]

It's common to charge them with as much as the authorities think is relevant. Charges get dropped and reduced as the investigation and resources get arrayed. Plus, it's the news. Liberal bias, Fox, whomever, "if it bleeds, it leads." I don't think it's worth quibbling over which exact charges are in play right now - what will matter to the accused is which charges are on the record when the court case begins (or when their lawyers finish negotiations.)

What matters right now is that they're jerks, and they're giving this hobby a bad name. We can't do much about the former, but I'm curious what we can do about the latter, if anything.

[meatballica]

It's common to charge them with as much as the authorities think is relevant. Charges get dropped and reduced as the investigation and resources get arrayed. Plus, it's the news. Liberal bias, Fox, whomever, "if it bleeds, it leads." I don't think it's worth quibbling over which exact charges are in play right now - what will matter to the accused is which charges are on the record when the court case begins (or when their lawyers finish negotiations.)

What matters right now is that they're jerks, and they're giving this hobby a bad name. We can't do much about the former, but I'm curious what we can do about the latter, if anything.

taerKitty, You're easily one of my favorite members here. You actually think ahead unlike a lot of other people here. But, you're right. There isn't much we can do now. We'll just have to see how this whole thing rolls out. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The media just blows shit out of preportion because nothing too exciting happens anymore on the news.

[Therion]

From watching the video, I didn't really feel that the news station was trying to portray Nerf toys as dangerous or deadly in any way. The reporter described the darts as squishy (or something along those lines...), and the drive-by with nerf guns as "harmless fun". (I find this description to be almost as stupid as the act itself.)

[Rylan]

Why did they call it dangerous or even a weapon? It is a toy that shoots, basically, sponges the size of a finger. A few more news casts like this and Nerf guns won't be around much longer.

[jigglypuff]

This made me laugh. Bassicly they did a drive by shooting with nerf guns, ran over a guy, then drove the car over a cliff...

Edited by jigglypuff, 20 July 2011 - 02:59 PM.

[ScoutsIX3]

This made me laugh. Bassicly they did a drive by shooting with nerf guns, ran over a guy, then drove the car over a cliff...

That makes you laugh? You have a strange sense of humor. They put a hard working man out of work for months.

Edited by ScoutsIX3, 20 July 2011 - 05:39 PM.

[jigglypuff]

That makes you laugh? You have a strange sense of humor. They put a hard working man out of work for months.

Yeah that is not what I was inferring. I was talking about how retard the people who did this were.
And yes I have a extremely strange sense of humor.

[TED]

Oh silly children. Odds are the guy was a lazy piece of shit and is probably pretty happy about getting to go on disability and the opportunity to sue someone.

[Curly]

Oh silly children. Odds are the guy was a lazy piece of shit and is probably pretty happy about getting to go on disability and the opportunity to sue someone.

While I'm sure the money is appreciated, I don't think he enjoyed the experience, or the pain during recovery.

Also, I'm thrilled we have been featured in the news again. At least most viewers just say "Cool Story, Bro!" and watch something else. As long as nobody dies I doubt the governments will step in, so nobody die ok?

[ScoutsIX3]

Oh silly children. Odds are the guy was a lazy piece of shit and is probably pretty happy about getting to go on disability and the opportunity to sue someone.

How very, very cynical of you.

[KitAdrian]

I can see how he hurt him and got charged for that, but can you get charged for shooting someone with a STOCK nerf gun?

As someone who works in the Construction/Labor field, I see the initial behavior as incredibly dangerous and disruptive, as well as destructive.

Construction sites are a veritable cornucopia of things that can go very badly wrong in an instant. The distraction of being hit by a nerf dart (even from a stock blaster) can be the instant of distraction that causes serious injury or death in a construction environment. Not to mention if the dart were to knock over/off any number of things into any number of other things that do not react well to the aforementioned group of things, you could have serious hazards and/or destructive forces(fire, explosion, damage, etc).

DON'T FUCK WITH CONSTRUCTION WORKERS.