Note: the Angry Neighbor received this open letter earlier this afternoon. We have read it, but are not ready to respond yet. We share it with you in the interest of dialog, and thank the writer for his time and concern.
===================================
Hello,
I am Dan a member and (USA) founder of the World Paint Ball Union. I am writing an open letter to show our disapproval of signs and of the media circus involved with the signs. Paintball markers are made for a design to be used in controlled environments with proper safety devices in place. Malicious paintballs can be very harmful to all
people in the surrounding area even the kids you are claiming to protect with them. Since no one has gone on the record to say wither these signs are meant to be joke, or if you will shoot speeding cars we can only look at this is threats being made with our sporting equipment.
There are multiple things the media as failed to mention. How many of the town people are trained to use a speed calculating device? When did it become ok to threaten violence on someone? When did it become ok to persecute someone with out a conviction? When did it become ok to fire paint filled projectiles travelling 280fps if not more into the public with out any regard to public safety.
I don't blame the community per-say as I live on a street with the same situation, I am also sure that the community people don't realize the harm that can be inflicted from shooting paintball markers maliciously. I do say shame on the Media however.
I am asking two things with this open letter. 1. I would like the media to stop the circus around these signs and actually use your resources for good rather than ratings. Instead reporting the sign, do some research and digging find our why the people aren't being heard why police aren't posting positions on the street. Find out why the people who pay taxes can't get signs or speed bumps. 2. I am asking the community to remove the signs. We will help you in your fight to stop the speeders We can reach out the town, and even local fields and players. I am sure the bulls wouldn't want you to chase after the speeders throwing bats and baseballs t
To the community, we know you didn't mean harm but the signs really hurt our sport. I know people including ones who play don't see anything wrong with this but there is, and here is are 2 scenarios that are very possible. Someone that sees this on the news or reads it in a paper buys a paintball marker to be a vigilante, sees a car that he thinks is speeding and shoots a paintball at it. Instead of the guy hitting the car he hits a kid on a bike in the eye. The end result the person is still speeding and now a child in the community will be blind and missing an eye for life. Then the media will do all new reports that a town of people hurt a child and they should all be
arrested and paintball should be banned. Yes the same media who chuckled at the idea.
The second scenario is that the signs aren't a joke and people really do shoot a driver while he is speeding. Some one shoots the driver it causes him to loose control of his vehicle the vehicle drives into a house or a crowd of people killing someone the vigilante is now someone who committed manslaughter.
These signs set a bad example for the Everyone, The community, The Kids, and the Paintball players.
Paintballs are round dimpled pieces of gelatin, they shoot at 280 to 300 feet per second and can leave welts and bruises. Paintball when played in the correct environment is safe and fun but when played maliciously in a city environment is dangerous and could be deadly.
Thank you for taking you time to read this
Dan Sperry
Founder and Member of the World Paintball Union
http://wpbu.org
The WPBU is an internationally founded Union of Paintball Players both professional and recreational. We are a worldwide nonprofit group that has members from every continent. Our goal is to promote paint ball in a positive light and help the local communities. We do not condone any misuse of Paint ball Markers, or paint balls them self and hope that people that do get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
We have three sections of rules to all of us in the union need to
abide by. These rules can be found on our website
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
By the way, we do want to state that, yes, we do own a radar gun, and yes, we do know how to use it.
ReplyDeleteJust to get the ball rolling....
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that no one, other than those who live in Duke Park and Old North Durham, seem to see the humor in all of this? Are we so brainwashed by the news media that we believe that people would *actually* shoot cars with paintball guns to enforce traffic laws?
Chill Bill, Dan...or whatever your name is. If it takes puttin' a little paint on a windshield to get peole to slow down...I'm all for it. I am a proud card carrying paintball "marker" owner and I say "Huzzah!!!" to the activists with the warning signs.
ReplyDelete@Lauren:
ReplyDeleteI doubt that it's a matter of being brainwashed by news media. It's hardly the case that someone not involved in a potentially dangerous act will see the humor in it. Why is it that everyone but the person doing it can't see the humor in putting a cherry bomb in a mailbox?
As the OP said in the open letter, it's not as if everyone assumes that people are going to start lighting up cars, but in our hypersensitive world where people cry over toys that look like real guns, this sort of things promotes the wrong notions.
@John Chappell:
You are a member of that small minority that the paintball community can't stand. Just because you own a marker, doesn't lend you any credibility. You're just another guy with a misguided sense of self-righteousness and a paintball gun. You have nothing to be proud of, because you haven't accomplished anything with that "card" you're carrying.
"...or whatever your name is." Really? Do you think you're cute? Stupid remarks like that do nothing but make you look like an asshole (as if the rest of your comment wasn't doing a good enough job already).
If it takes putting a little paint on your face to keep you from potentially hitting a bystander, I'm all for it.
"Why is it that no one, other than those who live in Duke Park and Old North Durham, seem to see the humor in all of this? Are we so brainwashed by the news media that we believe that people would *actually* shoot cars with paintball guns to enforce traffic laws?"
ReplyDeleteIt sells eyeballs.
Dear UbD Podcasts:
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that you didn't read any of the stories carefully. What you failed to catch is that all of the news coverage that surrounds this issue pertains to a sign being posted, not to actual neighbors who either own paintball guns or plan to fire them at oncoming traffic.
These signs were merely attention-getting mechanisms used because efforts on the part of concerned citizens as well as the local neighborhood associations has failed to elicit any sustained response from the Durham PD. In my mind, this effort has certainly done its part in garnering attention, and I applaud the Angry Neighbors.
Unfortunately, individuals who are unable to see the intricacies of the situation (such as the original author of the guest editorial and, unfortunately, UbD Podcasts) in a sophisticated and nuanced light have managed to turn the issue of clever signs being posted in a neighborhood into a public safety issues were actual, not figurative, neighborhood renegades are covertly hiding in the bushes waiting to take their anger out on speeding cars.
Really, I think it's a bit too much.
umm i hate to say it but im a paintball play the guy righting the ubd podcast is a player im pretty sure and what ur doing wil possibly destroy our sport
ReplyDelete@Lauren:
ReplyDeleteIf the intention was simply to conjur up clever signs to impose some sort of neighborhood watch type of threat, then it would have been more responsible to use something else. The soccer moms of Durham obviously didn't put much thought into it. Most likely no more thought than those are speeding through the community. Had they actually spent more time thinking about the implications said signs have on paintball than laughing at their amazingly clever humor, then they would know that this mindless stunt is the last thing paintball as a sport needs.
We as serious players already have to deal with moronic kids buying a gun at Walmart, and shooting up homes, cars, and pedestrians. We have to worry about fields closing down because of some foolish person who doesn't feel like obiding by safety regulations. Now we have to deal with angry neighboors who simply see a paintball gun as a punchline to a not-so clever warning?
Use something else that isn't in need of a better image. Have them use baseball bats, bows and arrows, hunting rifles, or whatever other sporting equipment will get their point across.