Idiotic use of markers and the fatality involved

[SlartyBartFast]

All you losers who think that kid deserves what he got think about all the stupid things you did when you were a kid. You are still alive aren't you. Write all those stupid things down and give me your address. I have a 9mm and some justice to serve.

Nature doesn't serve justice. Nature and life simply deal out action/reaction and probability. Rich people don't "deserve" to win the lotto, while poor people certainly do. But you roll the dice, you suffer the consequences, it is completely random.

The kids rolled the dice twice. First, risking seriously pissing someone or the authorities off by shooting from a moving vehicle. Second, by attempting to get away. Bbut from the report it's not clear if the other twit pursued them or was driving at the time and just reacted to being shot at. Both times they came up snake eyes.

The kid didn't "deserve" to die, but I'm not sure he "derserves" our pity either.

[webmstrk9]

Hardheaded

The use of the marker in this situation is idiotic. Yes, true paintballers know better, that is a given. I had posted this subject in another forum which were more along the lines of the people involved in the incident. The first 2 posts were had comments of

'yeah i thought of using my paintball marker this halloween, and i know all of you did too'

Yes, it was a thought, but what would have taken him/her to actually do it, another friend encouraging it? Can we not say peer pressure in our teenage years played a part in our development? Given the situation with the accident it was 4 teenagers, driver 19, fatality 16, other 2 im unsure, but assumption is in the same age group.

I know not all teens have this mentality, but feeling of being invincible is getting ridiculous. Take for instance pbnation.

In my opinion, both parties are at fault, it looks like the man who was chasing them is without a doubt at fault for what he did. Given he was shot at and not knowing what he was being shot at he became enraged. Anger does weird things to a human psyche.

Now, people keep on mentioning retail stores, well, keep in mind, some of us bought our first markers from a retail chain. Does that not make us any better?

Were the markers an impulse buy to do what they did?
Do the stores need to regulate who they sell to?
Does the industry need to be more strict?
Does the govt need to get involved on how to 'regulate' the sale of markers?

If there are regulation, we know that will just hurt the GROWTH of our hobby. I know AGD requires an 'adult' of at least the age of 18 to receive their marker as well as Palmer. Given these builders are of mail order and would only be known if research was done. What are we to do with mass produced markers, ie. BE, JT's, Tippmann's, etc.

Just some thoughts...hope ya'll dont mind my rambling.

[NoLifeLeft]

Just a little FYI. In at least some states (maybe all) shooting paintballs at a car or house is a felony. Its actually treated with all of the seriousness of a firearm.

[darwin]

I heard this story last night on the evening news. It is sad IMMATURE individuals have put use an equipment meant for sport. The gist, several kids were driving around the neighborhood around 8pm shooting at cars and what not. A man saw this got in this car, chased them, rear-ended them, causing the kids' car to roll/flip throwing one of the passengers, killing him later in the evening.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2877880

Wow, i live here and i didnt hear about that. that is definitely the suck.

But see the statement that immature people using equipment meant for sports and such. Think about all the people that get beatan to death by bats etc etc

[Enemy]

you see this is why kids need fast cars!!! now if those kids where in a wrx hitting 11s home boy in the truck wouldnt have kept up and the fatal wreck wouldnt have occurred!! seriously though the kids deserved to be injured i know if someone shot my truck with its nice paint job i would be fighting them.. hands down i fought my cousin for hitting my car with a paintball that he threw by hand! its respect for property i would have preferred the kid had survived with massive injuries but he died oh well.. as for the other dude if he tried to ram them then he should be convicted of manslaughter. if the wreck was accidental then let him go with a hefty fine and some community service. god knows the family is going to hit him with a wrongful death lawsuit anyway! i wish i could feel pitty for these kids but i dont the people that deserve my pitty was my friend who died when he rolled his truck rushing to help a friend that was stuck in the desert!!!!

[daviselk]

I blame this on the guy that hit them... sereously... i am 16 and ive done some stupid stuff, but their is no way I would deserve to die from what i did. I know that paintball guns are at a diffrent level, and that it could put out an eye... but still, they did not put out any eyes. Their had to of been somthing wrong with that man that ran after them. I know that some parents would go after the kids.. and if he was going after them and they were kids they probually gave him a brake check... and that might of made the wreck. But who knows... the article could of been more in-depth about the status of the kids and why the man ran after them.

[Kaiser Bob]

Its pretty stupid to brake check a guy chasing you because of some dumbass thing you did to them. The others are lucky they didnt get shot up instead, this is Texas after all.

[lostrock]

I have just one thing to say " What if it was your kid? " now shut up

[azza]

Wow,,, its nice to see soo many people have such a blatent disreguard for life nowadays. Has society turned to poop that much that people think people deserve to DIE because of misuse with an airgun?!?! I could swear most of you are acting like the poor kid had gone on a murderous rampage across the city!
I think alot of you need to take a long look in the mirror. A family has lost a son and alot of you are more worried about what it may cause to the image of paintball! I dare you all who think he some how deserved to lose his life to say that to his parents and see wether they agree with you!

[Dirty Dakota]

Shazam

Holy Moly Lostrock,

I have just one thing to say " What if it was your kid? " now shut up

I wish it had been said before. If you think that the kid deserved it; you probably don't have kids or are trying to instigate. If you do have kids, please find another country to live in because you don't deserve the America. If you are trying to instigate you have done well young Jedi.

ANYWAY...the reality is that the kid is dead, because of the stupid action of another. Unless that kid was risking someone elses life he didn't come close to deserving it.

DD

[R/\INM/\N]

Amen

[SlartyBartFast]

i am 16 and ive done some stupid stuff, but their is no way I would deserve to die from what i did.

You guys just don't get it do you?

If you do something stupid, and it results in your death, and the death would have been entirely preventable by exercising your own responsibility, it has nothing to do with DESERVING to die.

It's just responsibility and the realities of life. Action/reaction.

And I have a kid. If he died in something like this I would be very upset. Upset that he could do something so dissappointing and mad that I hadn't raised him to be more respectful of others and more responsible.

[Mad-Medic]

What Gives????

Hello, first off I want to say thatI have read the post above. I am disapointed with soem of the responses and very nervous to read others. I would like to say something that I feel is very important. I am a retired Firefighter/Medic from the Chicago land area. I used to work in the Robert Taylor homes area and the Cabrenee Green area along with most of the East side and South Side. So I do have some knowledge of the stupid things people do to each other.

The first time I seen someone do something stupid to some one was when my cousin was shot in the head with a pellet gun. He died in my arm on the way to the hospital, I was 12. He was shot by his brother. I onloy say this to show that accidents do happen. However: When you take the CROWN of Stupidity on put it proudly onto your head and do something like drive around and shoot out the window of a moving vehicle, you can expect that people will react in a way they normally would not. Case in point. A person in a town near me over the summer was arrested and jailed for shooting a kid. It was the same thing there was some kids doing drive bys with markers. They shot at him and his family striking him and his children. (note the kids were toddlers and a Baby. They were using RED fill. Now this man thought that his children were just killed, he was in shock, seeing what appeared to be blood and seeing one of his children unconcious frombeing hit in the head, (the baby). So he grabed his pistol, and fired back. He struck the driver and a passenger. The kids were 16 and 15 year olds. Should he have fired? Should he have just called the police? I for onr do have small children. And I would do all that I had to do to protect them in any situation. How many times have we read about kids killing people, I seen it every day in Chicago, it is sad but as long as people wear that Crown, things like this will happen. Markers are not TOYS, they can cause very permanent injury or death if misused. And if they are used like this then they are deserving of what happens to them. Ask yourself this what if they were shooting with Tec-9's or some other firearms would it have made a difference.

Thanks and soory for the long post.

[Destructo6]

I have just one thing to say " What if it was your kid? " now shut up

Bogus appeal to emotion. Come back with an argument.

As Slarty and Medic said, these kids instigated the series of events that led to the death of one of their friends. They caused this to happen.

Doing what they were doing, they were bound to run into somebody who would not stand idly by and wait for an impact.

[psychobillygoat]

I'll go ahead and say the kids deserved it.

I have to agree. Of course the kids will be sure to be labled "victims". too bad someone had to die though. But If I was on the town and some kid thought he would be funny and point a marker, bb gun or an air soft gun at me, my family or my property - he WILL get a beat down. IF the guy was just chasing them and got brake checked - then yes,
100% the kids fault. If the guy ramed them - well thats going too far and should be on his way to jail ---- along with the surviving punks.