EastCoastAirsoft Blog

So your child wants an airsoft gun. Your first thought;  “Hell no.”  But let’s give this matter a little thought. Forget the BB gun you or your brother had when you were a kid. You remember, the one that shot out your neighbor’s kitchen window. Or maybe the one that shot you in the leg and left a welt that lasted for five days. Like your son has been telling you, this is NOT a BB gun. It’s an airsoft gun. It shoots a light weight plastic BB. It won’t break the neighbors’ windows or ruin your car’s paint job.

All of these thoughts ran through my mind when my 14 year old son wanted one for Christmas two years ago. He overcame my objections. Although I still had my reservations, I relented and gave him my Visa card to order one online. Being that he wanted all of his gifts that year to be airsoft related, I left it up to him to spend another $100 on the site.

When I watched him open the boxes on Christmas morning I was rather amazed. I figured the other $100 would be spent on more items of household destruction. But what I saw was that he had ordered a protective mask and goggles. He also had bought protective gloves . Even more amazing was when I watched him and his friends play for the first time. They all owned and wore the protective items. I guess a generation of kids raised on riding helmets and seatbelts just automatically wear protective gear without thinking about it.

That was over two years ago now. After hundreds of neighborhood airsoft battles involving a dozen or so kids, there has not been a single injury. Unlike football, which resulted in a broken thumb, or basketball, which ended with a broken wrist, airsoft has been a very safe activity for my son and his friends. Not to mention, it finally got him off the computer and out of the house.