markers? you mean the guns

[Piper]

Look stop this!

They are guns and you shoot bullets, you kill people on the field. Why try and hide it that is what they are what you do

If you don't beleave me ask Duff


Piper

 

[duffistuta]

Nearly right

Yes paint is bullets, but it's not a gun is it Andrew?

It's a bullet-chucker.

You kill people with it and they get sent to the deadbox.

Now what bit does everyone not understand?

 

[Rate_of_Fire #80]

I think the term paintball gun is a great way to go. You dont have to say the horrible term "marker" i mean it sounds like your talking about a sharpie, that only causes more confusion. Paintball gun tells exactly what it is, so you dont get in trouble for saying gun.

 

[D6]

What's a 'sharpie'?

 

[JoseDominguez]

I say maker, 'cos I've never owned a gun. I've got a crate of 40 nelspot 007's the original forestry tree marker (with a conversion kit to make them pump pistols).. they were sold as "markers" way back then 'cos that's what they do.
Rmember, if your in the US "guns" are common, they aren't over here so the distinction is more obvious.

Ever take your "guns" through customs? complain about the PC thing if you never use it yourself.

 

[Gyroscope]

Jose, I am not trying to complain. I am trying to stimulate debate. I want to re-examine the assumption that using the term marker is doing more good than ill. I use the term, too, due in part to fact that I was taught to. As an reasoning being, it is ok for me to question what I am taught.

The customs thing is a good arguement for using the term marker, though. Ok, I cede that the term is more than a PC gesture. So we are fooling customs, if not the public.

 

[dr.strangelove]

Okay, ask some random person who isn't a paintball player what they think of when they hear the word "gun". Usually they will say "shooting" or "bullets" or "killing" or "weapon" (I know, because I have done this very test to prove this very point to my friend). So you want our sport to be associated with all the terms that people think of when they hear the word "gun"? "Marker" may seem stupid to some of you, but I think it's less harmful if we're associated with sharpies than killing, bullets and weapons. Clearly, people associate the word "gun" with firearms. Do we use firearms in paintball? NO, not even in the government's technical sense. So why should we be associated with them? I don't think paintball players use the term "marker" to fool the public, but because it describes our gear much more accurately than "gun". For the very same reasons that people don't call their cars tanks, paintballers don't call our markers guns.

 

[Rate_of_Fire #80]

then ask them what they think when they hear paintball directly before it.

 

[dr.strangelove]

Originally posted by Rate_of_Fire #80
then ask them what they think when they hear paintball directly before it.

You're right, that changes everything. Then they think of "killing" "bullets" and "weapons" with paintball in front of it, much better.

 

[JoseDominguez]

Punters fire guns, paintballers fire markers.

There ya go. Nothing to do with political correctness.

Just like kids used skateboards, boarders use decks.

I say marker 'cos I don't want to be thought of as using a gun. I'm anti-gun (which is easier in the UK) and saying gun just makes you sound too "weekend warrior"

as for:
Originally posted by Rate_of_Fire #80
then ask them what they think when they hear paintball directly before it.

Great ROF, so the majority view must be right, just because there are lots of them? the truth is, most people are ill informed about our sport, it's the biggest problem we face. Carry on supporting the "war monger" image.. you'll help get your own sport banned.