20 replies to this topic

[BustaNinja]

I am a huge gun nut. I can probably name any gun you throw at me. I have been shooting for a while. I have really seen this in the paintjob sections. PEOPLE COMPARING NERF GUNS TO REAL GUNS. I've seen alot of it. People will show off their Longshot and someone will compare it to an ak or a m16 or a Barret 50. cal BMG rifle. I was wondering about how people fill about this. I should probably just let it go but Im a little tired of the insanely good LS painthob followed by the inevidable " Anyone else think it looks like this gun?" Your 2 cents please. So do you hate it to or just don't know enough about firearms to care?

[SHADOW HUNTER ALPHA]

I am huge on guns, like you. However, these paintjobs don't really matter. Some people want their LSs etc. to look like real guns, others are inintentionally similar. There is no harm in liking the looks of a gun and then copying them.

When people begin to compare Nerf in general to things like paintball or real guns, then I get annoyed. Nerf is a different game than paintball, and the guns are different from real guns for good reason. The admins here HATE PB vs. Nerf and similar threads for the same reason. Nerf is unique because it caters to a unique niche. This is not the same niche as paintball, airsoft, or real-steel shooting. Therefore, we don't need to act like it is.

[telekinetic]

In today's culture, the NIC is in NO WAY served by making guns 'realistic' or naming them after real firearms, etc.

I am going to be making flyers to distribute on my college campus, and I know that the word 'gun', despite the context, stands a large chance of me not getting them approved.

I am going to take a hint from paintball and come up with a name that doesn't involve 'gun' (foam launchers? Dart tag?) to use on my flyer. People who know nothing about the sport can only criticize the verbage choosen, something I noticed played heavily in the news story floating around on youtube about the Assasination game.

Which sounds better to parents and administrators, a college club encouraging students to get as many kills as possible by assasinating other kids with guns, or a club that encourages inovation by modifying foam launchers for use in team games of tag, 'dodgeball', and capture the flag?

Edited by telekinetic, 01 August 2007 - 06:21 PM.

[SHADOW HUNTER ALPHA]

You've touched on what I was thinking after posting, telekinetic. It isn't directly related to what BustaNinja was saying, but in advertising and in politics, substitution of words with more positive synonyms usually deceives the public into believing a "happier, safer, or more acceptable" action, belief, or event. This is why we never use the words "gun, shoot, kill, deathmatch, war," etc. in letters asking permission to host Nerf wars in public places such as parks or schools. People who realize this and are more careful about describing our hobby are more likely to earn our hobby/sport a more positive look under social light, rather than trash it like, for example, paintball enthusiasts who brag about kills and their shooting where people will look at their sport as violent and terrible rather than an enjoyable and teamwork-oriented.

Edited by SHADOW HUNTER ALPHA, 01 August 2007 - 06:28 PM.

[angrscottishkid]

im a gun collector, mainly 1920's through 1950's. this kinda thing only bothers me if people have no idea what their talking about, for the most part i just let it go

[Newbie]

I agree with SHADOW HUNTER ALPHA. Nerf guns and real guns are way different. Nerf does not kill, maim, and damage property. This is why I do not play airsoft.

[ambushbug]

In today's culture, the NIC is in NO WAY served by making guns 'realistic' or naming them after real firearms, etc.

I am going to be making flyers to distribute on my college campus, and I know that the word 'gun', despite the context, stands a large chance of me not getting them approved.

I am going to take a hint from paintball and come up with a name that doesn't involve 'gun' (foam launchers? Dart tag?) to use on my flyer. People who know nothing about the sport can only criticize the verbage choosen, something I noticed played heavily in the news story floating around on youtube about the Assasination game.

I thought convention on NH was to use the term 'blaster' - not 'guns'. At least, that's what I refer to them as.

I think people can paint their blasters however they please - but judging from what I've read over the couple years on this forum, they definitely don't get props around here for 'realism'

[BustaNinja]

I know what you mean. I almost got in big trouble when I was showing my nerf virgins (have guns but don't mod, use customs or anything) my new batch of stefans at school. I called it ammo for my nerf guns and immidiately a teacher was breathing down my neck for having weapons. I explained that it was for nerf. Like the toys and that its not real. So Wording does make alot of diffrence, Going on what telekinetic said. But a school near my house has wars for a huge pot of money. (like $800+) and I've talked to the guy who runs them and they use foam fights or foam blaster wars. Not Nerf GUN fights. Its really intresting on how something can be taken wrong just by the words you use. You bring up an intresting point telekinetic.

[commander erik]

People who realize this and are more careful about describing our hobby are more likely to earn our hobby/sport a more positive look under social light, rather than trash it like, for example, paintball enthusiasts who brag about kills and their shooting where people will look at their sport as violent and terrible rather than an enjoyable and teamwork-oriented.

Then, I ask you: why do some of us keep record of our "kills and deaths"? Why do we record our "killings" and "warring" on video and share them all over the internet?

Need I remind you that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet?

No matter what you call it, a nerf war is still a bunch of people using modified foam-shooting toy guns to shoot at each other with darts made of foam.

The point is that we are still using nerf guns that inflict little damage.

As we all (should) know:

Nerf guns and real guns are way different. Nerf does not kill, maim, and damage property

My question is, then, why do we have to use less "dangerous-sounding" synonyms for the same thing?

I believe that it's to please the overly-lawsuit-happy American psycho parents who blame their children's terrible behavior on everything but their lack of parenting skills. Grand theft auto, manhunt, other violent video games and movies come to mind.

The point is: it still doesn't matter. We still shoot foam darts out of sometimes modified (or homemade) nerf guns. They are not real guns. They do not shoot bullets that are made with the intent to maim or hurt. Nerf darts are made for fun, not serious psyical harm.

That's why I say:

Call it whatever the hell you want to. It doesn't matter. We still shoot nerf darts (made of foam) out of nerf guns. Paint your guns whatever the hell color you want to. They still don't inflict serious damage to people, animals, or property. (Except for the people who do so intentionally.) Call our nerf wars whatever your heart desires. They still don't change what we do. We still shoot nerf darts out of nerf guns.



To further elaborate:

I called it ammo for my nerf guns and immidiately a teacher was breathing down my neck for having weapons. I explained that it was for nerf. Like the toys and that its not real.

Exactly my point. No matter what we call it, it is still nerf. Whether you give it hardcore "violent" terminology
or beat-around-the-bush "child's-play" terminology, it is still nerf. Don't get me wrong, in these situations, use the non-violent terminology.


As you read this, keep in mind what nerf is. Nerf darts are not bullets. They do not (for our purposes) inflict serious damage. They are made to give kids a non-violent alternative to shooting things and becoming violent.

In closing: (and I feel as though this is getting redundant)
Call it whatever you want. Nerf darts are still not going to kill people.
Call nerf blasters "guns", and guess what? They still don't kill people.
Call nerf darts "bullets" or "ammo", and guess what? They still don't kill people.
Paint your nerf guns and make them look like realistic guns, and guess what? They still don't kill people.
-----------

Don't get me wrong. I know what guns can and will be used for . I am not one of those "ban guns they are bad" people. Let's not discuss that here, though. If you must, PM me.

Edited by commander erik, 01 August 2007 - 11:01 PM.

[shadowkid33]

I don't think nerf guns should be painted like real guns. It looks bad, in the public's eyes, when you see a kid shooting another kid with a black nerf gun.

[SHADOW HUNTER ALPHA]

commander erik, I am not talking about the words we use to describe out own hobby with each other, but rather the ones we select to talk about it near or to those who have no idea what Nerf is like. The instant the public hears us saying "guns" or "ammo" or "kills," it no longer matters what we are talking about. They think it is simply too violent and a bad influence on our generation. I already know everything in your summary, but the public doesn't. I don't want people who see what we have done with our guns or see us shooting each other to take a negative opinion and try to get us to stop or get their local stores to pull the guns from the shelves. Of course, that might be a little extreme, but I don't think anyone wants Nerf to develop the same negative reputation as paintball has in general.

[TJ]

I don't think nerf guns should be painted like real guns. It looks bad, in the public's eyes, when you see a kid shooting another kid with a black nerf gun.

Exactly, think of it in the perspective of the little old lady down the road. She's peeking out the window after feeding her 12 cats and sees a boy chasing around another boy with a black gun. Now in my views, old folks who can hardly see already aren't going to be able to determine the diffrence between an M-16 and a black longshot (though one might take into acount why an old lady would think small boys would get ahold of a military grade assualt rifle...) Even if it isn't an old lady, a black gun may scare a neighbor who happens to see it. This can lead to frantic calls to the police about the "gun" which will most likely cause a scene.

Now to keep this relevant to the topic, for the above stated reasons I don't like when nerf guns are painted black and compared to real guns. Not beacause I don't like real guns, but I feel it could cause a bad reputation for the sgame and the community as a whole. Though as stated once explained the situation most concerned folk seem to go "Oh, that's it? My bad carry on." However once it starts to get a bad reputation explaining may not work. If the reputation spreads that Nerf is to violent (I just couldn't help laughing at that) the masses are going to turn on it and will blow our reasonable explanations to shit. Thus going to protest toy guns designed for 6 year olds, leaving little Jimmy safe, sound, and unexposed to violence with his Xbox and Halo 2.
My point is, we as humans love to create scapegoats. Why blame yourself for little Timmy's violent behavior when you can simply blame the FOAM SHOOTING BLASTER gramps got him for christmas, just beacause some teens across the country painted theres black and scared some neighbors.

In conclusion, painting guns black isn't bad, how you chose to show it off can be, not just for you, but for Nerf.

[Thom]

I don't know how universal this is, but in New York, I believe that realistic or black-colored toy guns must have orange-tipped barrels, which have become a sort of universal "it's-just-a-toy" sign.

[SHADOW HUNTER ALPHA]

I don't know how universal this is, but in New York, I believe that realistic or black-colored toy guns must have orange-tipped barrels, which have become a sort of universal "it's-just-a-toy" sign.

I think all states have laws like this, since there have been many problems with kids using realistic airsoft guns, like the kind from Tokyo Mauri, getting shot by policemen wheo think they are real guns. I will probably wrap my gun barrels in orange E-tape or just leave the guns the stock colors for wars, and all my homemades are/will be designed with threaded muzzle brakes for a screw-on orange cap.

[frost vectron]

The problem with the orange tip is that people can simply put orange tips on their real guns, and everybody knows that.

Having an orange tip will still have people breathing down the back of your necks and calling the police unnecessarily. It's a start, but black nerf blasters with orange tips will still attract unwanted attention.

[SHADOW HUNTER ALPHA]

The problem with the orange tip is that people can simply put orange tips on their real guns, and everybody knows that.

Nobody said the system was foolproof, and it isn't but the most we can do when we hold wars is to get city approval and then show the police the letter if they get called in by someone.

[BustaNinja]

The problem with the orange tip is that people can simply put orange tips on their real guns, and everybody knows that.

Having an orange tip will still have people breathing down the back of your necks and calling the police unnecessarily. It's a start, but black nerf blasters with orange tips will still attract unwanted attention.

The orange tip idea for real guns is stupid. Responsible gun owners would never do that and criminals who pack heat don't care about cops so it is a universal sign for toy.

[frost vectron]

I'm just saying, orange tip or not, people are still going to be looking at you the wrong way.

Black Longshot -- Public Park -- unnecessary fear.

Black Longshot, with orange tip -- Public Park -- STILL unnecessary fear.

[TJ]

The problem with the orange tip is that people can simply put orange tips on their real guns, and everybody knows that.[b]
Having an orange tip will still have people breathing down the back of your necks and calling the police unnecessarily. It's a start, but black nerf blasters with orange tips will still attract unwanted attention.

Hm, that thought never even crossed my mind, great point.

[LastManAlive]

This is like a concept thread. Why don't you go and see if a cop notices you in the middle of a public park with the internals of a AT2K worked inside of a real weapon and see what happens. When that is done, reply back and tell us how it blew over. I'll be looking for you post.

[BustaNinja]

LastMan, I really hope your joking. First of all, you have you need to get all bitchy. And second, You may not know this, but guns aren't cheap. And why you would ever do this is beyond me. Third, What were you trying to acomplish by posting something like that?

Edited by BustaNinja, 02 August 2007 - 09:25 PM.