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LAST POST: AIRSOFT IN LOCKDOWN
AIRSOFT IN LOCKDOWN
WITH THE COUNTRY STILL (MOSTLY) “CONFINED TO QUARTERS”, FRENCHIE POSES A SIMPLE QUESTION: “WHEN THE COUNTRY IS IN LOCKDOWN, WHERE DO YOU PLAY AIRSOFT?”
Well, that’s a good question and one to which the answer should be obvious – your living room perhaps? Clear the bathroom! Attack the attic! Where you won’t be playing is on an airsoft site!! As I suggested a couple of issues ago, like all non-essential activities, sites have shut down for the duration as they represent a risk to life – I never thought I would write that line about airsoft.
It would seem, however, that this is insufficient reason for some people. Scott Allan of Land Warrior recently posted a pugnacious video on Facebook concerning the decision by a small number of players to take it upon themselves to make use of his site while it was shut! I absolutely share Scott’s frustration and anger; I mean, where to start?
How about breaking the law that bans the meeting of more than two people – there were four of them. Now there is no law regarding trespass in Scotland, although there are other laws that deal with criminal damage etc. However, poncing about during a lockdown with replica guns might possibly get the attention of Police Scotland …were they not busy analysing Strava feeds! (Google it. Ed.)
The antics of these knuckle-dragging simians did, however, come to the attention of the landowner, who contacted Scott. Like most sites, the land the site operates on is rented and like most landlords, if the tenant becomes more of a hassle than the rent justifies, they can, and will, divest themselves of said tenant. While this isn’t the case with Airsoft Edinburgh as best I know, it’s always good to stay on the right side of the landowner.
Airsoft Edinburgh have had to deal with this sort of behaviour before but never when it could be a matter of life and death. I don’t know who the four idiots were, it is possible that they are all members of the same family, all live together and therefore do not pose an immediate infection risk to each other, however, you have to look at the bigger picture. They were willing to make use of land that didn’t belong to them. They did so during a period when emergency powers are in place to prevent the spread of a virus for which there is no vaccine and no obvious cure. A virus whose spread is encouraged by close physical proximity, like for instance 4 amoebas sharing a car to visit a closed airsoft site, to which they have no right of access during a pandemic. What we are looking at here is a pattern of behaviour which wouldn’t particularly trouble Sherlock Holmes, or Poirot. “Ah, my dear Watson, it is entirely obvious! These people are utter [expletive deleted] idiots!”
Thanks to the site security the individuals were identified, promptly banned from Airsoft Edinburgh and their details circulated to all UK sites. Good luck getting another game guys…
But really… WTF?!
A good friend of mine, someone I used to work with and who I met through airsoft, has recently been in hospital with Covid-19 and I won’t lie, I genuinely feared I might be writing another airsofter’s eulogy. Fortunately, he’s on the mend but with in excess of 20,000 deaths at the time of writing, it should be really obvious that this is not a disease to mess with. But it’s not just that. It’s a complete lack of respect for those who make their living from airsoft. It’s the complete lack of understanding about how airsoft works, how sites are started, built and maintained. It’s the arrogant assumption that you’re entitled to do what you want – at any time, never mind right now and the erroneous belief that you won’t get caught.
At a time when we on this side of the Atlantic are watching armed Americans lay claim to all the available Darwin Awards by protesting for the end of lockdown when their states are still riven with Covid-19, it’s not difficult to find examples of truly world-class stupid. In comparison to those gun-toting but mask-averse neanderthals, our four anti-heroes are very small beer, but it’s clear that stupid knows neither borders nor boundaries.
The simple truth is, unless you are lucky enough to own land, or live on a farm and your family are all into airsoft, you’re probably scunnered for a while to come yet. If you have a garage that isn’t filled with 20 years of assorted junk, you could set up a target range and take your lockdown angst out on paper targets – you’ll find loads online you can print off. I kinda’ wish my garage wasn’t full of Trabant at the moment…
The simple and obvious truth is, as far as playing airsofting is concerned, you can’t! There is much we cannot do at present, most of it for good reason. These are times the likes of which even those of us who have passed the first flush of youth (and the second..) have never seen before and we just have to cope with them until circumstances change. Change they will, this will not last forever although we have no idea what the post Covid-19 world will look like until we have either a reliable cure or an effective vaccine.
You can rest assured that those whose livelihoods rely on airsoft, the retailers and the site operators, are every bit as keen to see some kind of return to normality. For some the current situation is a genuinely existential threat. Fortunately, most couriers seem to be operating and therefore goods can be ordered online and delivered. Of course, consumables aren’t being used as no one is playing at present, so I suspect pickings are a bit thin at present.
On the other hand, your patience means that you will be able to play again, unlike those damned fools who just couldn’t wait and may well find every site now closed to them. I doubt they will be missed and they could always take up knitting or pebble-counting instead of airsoft. Have fun with that!
To the rest of you, be sensible, be patient and most importantly, stay safe. While the numbers favour you remaining safe and healthy, this is not an illness to be messed with for laughs. AA WWW.AIRSOFT-MILSIM-NEWS.COM Airsoft & MilSim News Blog @AMNBOfficial @airsoftmilsimnewsblog Airsoft & MilSim News Blog AWARD WINNER
If you have any old kit or gear tucked away in a cupboard, garage or shed that you have thought about sticking on eBay, or a forum to get rid of it, then why not donate it to the Pilgrim Bandits instead and Tez will make sure any money raised from its sale will go towards helping even more people – and you can be sure of the undying gratitude and thanks of those who it helps to live again.
Please contact Tez on either his mobile: 07748 800 981 or email: terry.arnett@pilgrimbandits.org
