The following editorial is the opinion of Dale Ford and his alone. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Ford Report and its’ advertisers. While airsoft players and Fox News will likely be infuriated by this editorial, neither was harmed during the production of this editorial.

Two articles published in the paintball press and in the mainstream media recently have gotten me to wondering as to how far is too far.

The first, published on WorldofTB.Com is a warning to those in the Law Enforcement and EMT fields regarding the use of a tourniquet that is intended for airsoft/mil-sim use and not as a functioning tourniquet. The story alleges that one person has already died from the failure of one of these cosmetic copies, and encourages people in that line of work to confirm that they have the real thing. You can read it here: http://worldoftb.com/index.php/2010/05/10/taking-it-too-far?blog=1

The second article I saw, published on Fox News, goes into great detail how it’s possible to create a functioning firearm from parts taken from an airsoft gun. In this case, the weapon in question is the M16/M4 rifle. It can be seen here: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/06/exclusive-toy-gun-sold-easily-turned-real-thing/

In the story, it’s alleged that it’s possible to manufacture a functioning firearm using the lower receiver from an airsoft gun, and with very minimal modifications it could be the base for a functioning ‘real steel’ M16/M4 rifle. While I don’t doubt that it’s possible to do so, I question the practicality of doing so.

From a technical standpoint, the lower receiver on the M16/M4 doesn’t really do a whole lot other than provide a place for the magazine to go into the rifle and house the trigger group, which interacts with the rifle’s bolt to fire and cycle the weapon. Aside from handling the strain of the hammer spring and the vibration of the bolt cycling back and forth in the upper receiver, there aren’t a lot of demands placed on this part. The pressure from the shell is borne mainly by the rifle’s barrel and bolt.

From a reality standpoint the only real people who might consider doing something like this seriously is someone legally barred from owning a firearm. Even then, it’s a spurious argument since if a convicted felon were really motivated to arm himself with a firearm of any type, it’s a trivial exercise to obtain one by circumventing gun laws by buying from an unscrupulous private seller, stealing one, or talking to the ‘right’ people. By definition a criminal is one who does something illegal, and if someone is bent on buying a firearm for nefarious purposes, the fanatics in the gun control crowd and laws already in place aren’t going to deter him.

I’ve made no secret that I have little use for airsoft in general, and the hyper-realistic guns popular with that group of people. It’s my opinion that airsoft is mainly for those who can’t handle getting hit with a paintball.

Why precisely does an airsoft player shooting a 6mm BB need to have the gun he’s using look like something a soldier would use on a real field of battle? A yearning to be that real man on the field of battle, but the idea of putting one’s self in real harm’s way is too much to bear?

Like paintball, airsoft is a fantasy, so I can understand wanting to make that fantasy as real as possible. However, I think with the tourniquet and the recent coverage on Fox News, as flawed as it is, everyone needs to take a step back and re-evaluate their thought processes. Is filling the need to play the role of a soldier or combat medic so strong that you need to put your life and other people’s lives at risk?

I will admit that perhaps my point of view is a bit skewed because of my background as a child. My father was a police officer during a majority of my childhood, and his additional duties as the Range Officer gave me ready access to firearms of all types, up to and including Class III fully automatic rifles. Being the man that he is, he also made sure that I was as well trained as the police officers in his charge regarding safety and respect for firearms.

Play time is over, boys and girls…time to join the real world with the rest of us.