Paintball: Vandals, Hoodlums, and Hooligans

Every paintballer has that friend that, every time someone new is around, insists on making some joke about him being able to shoot up peoples’ houses and/or cars with his or her paintball gun. This is a very unfair stereotype that hinders the progress and commercialization of the game. First of all, vandalism is not cool. Not only is it illegal but it makes the paintball community look bad. Secondly, most (if not all) paintball players resent this comment because at one time we have all been persecuted for the actions of some person with a paintball gun. Notice I do not call these vandals, players. They are most likely between the ages of 14 and 16, have legitimately played the game a couple of times, and bought at least 60% of their gear at Wal-Mart. People like this are dangerous! I am in no way bashing Wal-Mart with this comment. I know for a fact that in the state of Illinois it is illegal for any retail store to sell any sort of paintball equipment to someone under the age of 18. However, I am not sure if this applies in other states (let me know).
I searched the word “paintball” on Google Scholar and more than half of the articles that appeared were about some kid getting shot in the eyes. They call this injury “blunt ocular trauma”. The fact is the biggest concern of the paintball industry and community is safety. At commercial fields, unsafe behavior is strictly monitored and prohibited. These unsafe vandals who insist on painting peoples’ houses and cars are most likely going to end up hurting someone in the manner mentioned above. So, next time before you think about shooting your neighbor’s car with your paintball gun, remember: Clocktapus says “You’re making the rest of us look bad, jerk.”