paintball on good morning america tuesday?

[CaptaiN_JacK]

i have a question...i just got out of the shower this morning and good morning america was on. all i heard was the guy saying something about "kids should not take apart the guns, they should let an adult of recreation leader do it" and something about "canisters" being filled. that is all i saw. so i was wondering if they were talking about paintball, and if so, what did they say?

thanks.

[shartley]

They gave a rough overview of what happened BUT left out the most important parts.

When the police officer was demonstrating the tank being unscrewed, he FAILED to mention that the actual tank was being unscrewed from the valve/reg…. which is NOT what normally happens when unscrewing your tank from your ASA. This little bit left out made it look like anyone who unscrews their CO2 tank will have the distinct possibility that it will shoot out of their hands and kill someone.

They also made the sport seem like it was MORE dangerous than it really is. They failed to mention how many people PLAY the sport, vs how many DIE from it, or are even seriously injured. And they failed to bounce those numbers off other sports or activities. Thus they gave a sensationalized version of the play/risk involved with paintball.

But as I was telling my wife….. I don’t think this will “hurt” paintball. For every 100 people who stop playing the sport (or just don’t start) because of this, there will be 1000 or more that DO play anyways.

It was typical sensationalism reporting lacking all the needed information to be a truly correct depiction of the situation and how it affects the general public….. but not TOO bad all and all. It didn’t look like they were setting out to ruin the sport or stop folks from playing it.

[BobTheCow]

Was this a reaction to a specific event, or just the use of air tanks in paintball in general?

[Mok_Star]

this might the the reason:


**ACTION PURSUIT GAMES EZINE**

"The Best of Paintball by Email"

Editor: Dave "Landshark" Norman

<2.21.04/ISSN:1534-3022/(C)2004 CFW Enterprises, Inc.>

Circulation: 17,317
__________________________________________________ ____________________

>>ALERT<<

CO2 TANK UNSCREWS- HITS & KILLS PERSON

A tragic death occurred a few days ago at a recreational paintball
field in northern California. According to reports, a 16-year-old
player unscrewed the tank from his marker after the games were over.
The tank and its valve should have remained attached to each other, as
a unit. Instead, the tank unscrewed from the tank valve, while the
tank valve remained screwed into the ASA of the marker. The tank flew
a few feet, and struck 37-year-old Colette Contois in the head. She
died instantly.

Our sincere sympathy goes out to her family and friends.

There is a Memorial Fund for Colette Contois. In lieu of flowers,
donations may be made to Rescue the Kids Foundation, at the Rescue
Credit Union, 4282 Golden Center Dr., Placerville, CA 95667; or any
of the school's credit union branches (Schools Financial Credit
Union, P.O. Box 526001, Sacramento, CA 95852; information
(800)962-0990).

***

This Safety Alert is for EVERY person involved with paintball. It is
posted with illustrating photos at www.actionpursuitgames.com

The tank valve must stay in the tank when the tank is unscrewed from
the marker.

The tank valve should be repaired or installed only by qualified and
trained persons.

Valve changing, siphon or anti-siphon device installing, or any
modification or change to a valve, should only be done by qualified
and trained persons.

Players! If you notice any leak, or looseness between the valve and
the tank, take it immediately to a qualified air tech for inspection.
When you remove a tank, look to see that the tank and valve - as a
unit - are unscrewing from the marker. Talk to your local pro shop or
field air tech for more information, or contact the equipment
manufacturer.



this is a sad story, and i have seen loose tanks out at our field before..but i have to agree with shartley, this is not the norm, and the media propaganda goes on, they don't report the hundreds of thousands of dollars raise each year for charity, nor the fact that kids into paintball don't have time nor the money to be vandels/drug heads..but just one bad thing happens and it's the entire paintball world that becomes the problem...what would happen if they did this type of reporting and bias directing of information with automobile crashes...we all be walking

[shartley]

Originally posted by BobTheCow63
Was this a reaction to a specific event, or just the use of air tanks in paintball in general?
Yes, it was in reaction to the above mentioned event.