I just had a very long conversation with a prominent, long standing and respected member of the Paintball Industry about the potential ramifications of the sports current state of affairs as it relates to the ROF issue and cheater modes on electronic boards.
This may very well be what killed the goose that laid the golden egg for people involved in the business of paintball. With the potential intervention of regulatory bodies that deal with consumer product safety issues, the potential increase in eye injuries that may be occurring with the rapidly increasing rates of fire and the velocity ramping modes that not only the custom board guys make but also the stock boards that some manufacturers install into their guns, it behooves the industry as a whole to start reconsidering the VERY REAL ramifications of this dilemma.
Although injuries that occur at the fields have stayed relatively stable, it is the injuries that occur outside that environment that is worrisome. Such injuries and accident are covered by home insurance carriers. The rate of paintball related injuries outside of the regulated field environment has seen a steady increase. At some point in time, these increases will lead to the insurance companies lobbying not just for restrictive legislation but rather prohibitive ones. These insurance companies have the ability to shut down paintball as a sport and as an industry.
So what now? In a comment I made earlier in connection with a rant on ROF, I specifically laid out that the industry and the sport have too many divergent interests and no universally accepted governing body to mandate the necessary corrective measures. As an example of this, take a look at the NPPL and who sits on the Rules Committee. I believe Mr. Ged Green, owner of WDP, is a member of that committee. If the NPPL is to be looked upon by us as one of the guiding forces in the industry when it comes to generally accepted rules, can they under the leadership of Chuck Hendsch enact rules that may be perceived as contrary to WDP's best interest? Can these two gentlemen separate the political issues that govern their participation in the sport and just focus in on doing what's in the best interest of all?
Can the ASTM Sub-committee for paintball, play a role in safeguarding the future of the sport? They know what needs to get done. The problem that exists is that they have neither the muscle nor the political consensus to enact the corrective measure that they know they need to enact.
Will the manufacturers see that it is in their own long-term best interest to act collectively in conjunction with the ASTM sub-committee and find a solution? Can they subvert their egos and prevent a potential catastrophe from happening? My guess, probably not. Their drive to compete in a market place predicated on a self-perpetuating arms race won't allow them to.
Can the Players see that if they feed the supply with their demand for faster shooting guns and cheater boards, that they themselves are driving their own demise?
I believe that there are just too many divergent interests and not enough common ground to facilitate a solution to this problem. Perhaps the solution isn't "how to decrease the amount of paint being shot" but rather to decrease the energy with which the paint impacts a target. What very few people know and what no one really cares to trumpet in public is that lenses in today's goggle systems can only take so many direct impacts before it fails. Check the warning labels and you'll know exactly what I mean.
I hope that this post can ignite a worthy discussion and garner some thoughtful responses. It behooves the members of the paintball inteligensia who frequent this board to sound off their thoughts on this subject and the potential solution that I am espousing.
This may very well be what killed the goose that laid the golden egg for people involved in the business of paintball. With the potential intervention of regulatory bodies that deal with consumer product safety issues, the potential increase in eye injuries that may be occurring with the rapidly increasing rates of fire and the velocity ramping modes that not only the custom board guys make but also the stock boards that some manufacturers install into their guns, it behooves the industry as a whole to start reconsidering the VERY REAL ramifications of this dilemma.
Although injuries that occur at the fields have stayed relatively stable, it is the injuries that occur outside that environment that is worrisome. Such injuries and accident are covered by home insurance carriers. The rate of paintball related injuries outside of the regulated field environment has seen a steady increase. At some point in time, these increases will lead to the insurance companies lobbying not just for restrictive legislation but rather prohibitive ones. These insurance companies have the ability to shut down paintball as a sport and as an industry.
So what now? In a comment I made earlier in connection with a rant on ROF, I specifically laid out that the industry and the sport have too many divergent interests and no universally accepted governing body to mandate the necessary corrective measures. As an example of this, take a look at the NPPL and who sits on the Rules Committee. I believe Mr. Ged Green, owner of WDP, is a member of that committee. If the NPPL is to be looked upon by us as one of the guiding forces in the industry when it comes to generally accepted rules, can they under the leadership of Chuck Hendsch enact rules that may be perceived as contrary to WDP's best interest? Can these two gentlemen separate the political issues that govern their participation in the sport and just focus in on doing what's in the best interest of all?
Can the ASTM Sub-committee for paintball, play a role in safeguarding the future of the sport? They know what needs to get done. The problem that exists is that they have neither the muscle nor the political consensus to enact the corrective measure that they know they need to enact.
Will the manufacturers see that it is in their own long-term best interest to act collectively in conjunction with the ASTM sub-committee and find a solution? Can they subvert their egos and prevent a potential catastrophe from happening? My guess, probably not. Their drive to compete in a market place predicated on a self-perpetuating arms race won't allow them to.
Can the Players see that if they feed the supply with their demand for faster shooting guns and cheater boards, that they themselves are driving their own demise?
I believe that there are just too many divergent interests and not enough common ground to facilitate a solution to this problem. Perhaps the solution isn't "how to decrease the amount of paint being shot" but rather to decrease the energy with which the paint impacts a target. What very few people know and what no one really cares to trumpet in public is that lenses in today's goggle systems can only take so many direct impacts before it fails. Check the warning labels and you'll know exactly what I mean.
I hope that this post can ignite a worthy discussion and garner some thoughtful responses. It behooves the members of the paintball inteligensia who frequent this board to sound off their thoughts on this subject and the potential solution that I am espousing.
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