Eye Injuries from Paintball Rising Among Kids

[Cyberious]

This doesn't help out our perception very much:

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4074009&section=news

Maybe we (AO) should release a statement something like this...

"Automags.Org the largest online community of paintball players condems the complete idiots whom do not employ the proper safety measures and equipment when playing the sport of paintball. As with any sport proper safety equipment must always be used. Bicylists, football players, baseball players, etc.. all have safety equipment that is sometimes not used causing harm to its participants. Unfortunately, good sense cannot be purchased and as such it is not possible to screen out those who have a complete lack of it. We the Paintball community police ourselves whenever possible but cannot control the actions of those indivduals who choose to ignore the rules and certainly cannot be held responsible when parents choose not to educate their children. Paintball is not a war game just like football is not a facist replacement for nuclear war and in its purest form is an activity that promotes teamwork, honesty, and fair play."

OK I'll get off my soapbox now but this type of article irritates me to no end.

[SN0BL1ND]

Hmmm.... much less profanity tht I'd have used towards the f!@#$%*& idiots...

[paintballbeaver]

well you also have to understand that as the sport grows the more injury's we will have just like sakting / snowboarding..

[Hexis]

According to the researcher, parents should monitor paintball games more closely and insist their children wear adequate protection. He cautioned that eye wear other than the specially designed facemasks, including sports goggles and sunglasses, are not enough.

Sounds like he came to very valid conclusions. Paintball Markers are not toys, their use should be appropiate, and the proper saftey gear should be used. Nothing wrong with that at all.

[Cyberious]

It wasn't too bad an article although they did mention the "war" thing. I was more irritated at the idiots that are giving the sport a bad name.

[paintball4lyfe32]

true, but we also have to remember that the kids are under 15 years old, i see at my local field kids that are 10,11 and some times that just simply dont understand and i wouldnt like to see these kids wont be able to play paintball but something should be done before there is a national problem about the growth in eye injuries

[Ginjiroku]

as the sport grows there will be more idiots hurting themselvs so there will be more injuries. If ther are 3 times as many people there will be about 3 times as many injuries.

[paintball4lyfe32]

if there were 3 times people who know what they were doing there prob wouldnt be 3 times the injuries but even if they make something to stop the younger group from purchasing guns they still will find a way so theres really nothing some1 can do besides educate them

[FutureMagOwner]

note the holloween things and the half undesignated facilities thing. well the other half must have come from people using guns illegally on nights like holloween and hitting kids in the eyes.

[Nitroduck]

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mediapb/petition.html

You have to realize , the guy wants legislation passed so kids can't buy paintball stuff. Thats a bad thing , not a good thing. He also left out alot of gaps in his article.

Sign the petetion!

[LegendaryEvil]

hrmm..

The article is well written, for sure...but HOW is this one of the top news stories on most of the news sites today?

Its on the FRONT page of MSNBC?

Im sure I am not the only one who would like to see coverage like this hidden DEEP in medium from which it came..

[Nitroduck]

Front page of AOL too........the article is way to biased.

[Beemer]

another

This one is slightly different. From an AOL link. Note the word battle instead of war


Study Finds Paintball Injuries on Rise

CHICAGO (Jan. 5) - Injuries to adults and children playing paintball have tripled in recent years, including eye damage causing lasting vision loss, a study found.

From 1997 to 2000, paintball-related injuries nationwide climbed from 926 to 2,780, with up to a third occurring in children younger than 15, according to the study, which analyzed injury data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission.

In 1999 alone, there were 519 eye injuries among 779 total paintball-related injuries to children under 15. Bleeding and retina detachment were among the most common eye injuries.

Many injuries occur because players are not wearing goggles or face masks, said researcher Dr. David Listman of St. Barnabas Hospital in New York.

Doctors should be aware of the dangers and lobby for restrictions in paintball equipment sales to minors, Listman said.

His study appears in January's Pediatrics, published Monday.

Paintball is a battle game in which players shoot at each other using compressed-gas guns filled with marble-size paint capsules.

The game is played at organized paintball centers, which usually provide and require face masks, Listman said. But children often play without protective equipment in woods, back yards or even basements, he said.

Tim Richmond of the Paintball Business Association, which provides insurance for paintball fields and services for about 400 accounts, said the Greenville, S.C.-based group's safety requirements include goggles or full face masks.

In 1999, an estimated 8 million people played paintball at more than 2,500 sites, Listman said.

Im sure I am not the only one who would like to see coverage like this hidden DEEP in medium from which it came..

Fuzzy logic.......Problems have to be addressed to be solved and eliminated

[skife]

The game is played at organized paintball centers, which usually provide and require face masks

Usually require and provide my ***

Any orginised field ALWAYS REQUIRES face protection


Dumb people nowdays