Well, not yet but it seems likely. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...aintball-in-wake-of-high-school-shooting.html Perhaps next they will ban water pistols, nerf guns, lazer quest,......
It is fun and pretty harmless I thought (save for a bruise or two). I really can't understand this kind of knee jerk reaction from the Germans, they seem terrified of themselves.
A knee-jerk reaction not based on any studies that show a connection between paintball and shootings? What a surprise.
Gee, what fun it must be getting hurt with the paintballs like these people did. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! This guy had his eye almost bilnded! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
There's a reason you're supposed to wear protective gear. The thing is, just because it's painful is no reason to ban it.
Banning something consentual and harmless? Well it's not like Germany has a history of oppression or anything. :shrug:
I agree, but a paintball can most definitely blind you. I had a patient come in who had removed his mask to clean it and was then shot in the face. His eye looked like this: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! You can't see the pupil because the eye is completely filled with blood. It's called an eight ball hyphema. And it's not good.
Sad, but so what. That patient knew the risks of paintball. I used to like Germany. I lived there for two years and graduated HS there. But they are just becoming too socialistic. You can get fined over there for flipping someone off in traffic....that's nobody's business but your own if you want to flip someone off. I can't stand it when a government thinks it needs to protect the people from themselves.
Ironically, I can remember playing a few rounds of paintball against a group of German exchange students here in Canada. Was great fun, we all had a blast, nothing bruised 'cept a few egos. For those concerned about eye safety: that's what a helmet's for, and for men there's another device you're also supposed to use to protect the other pair of balls of concern. It's important when engaging in activities like paintball that you be safe, not stupid. I suppose next they'll talk about banning hockey, since you can get seriously hurt if you don't wear proper protection and don't know what you're doing, then rugby, soccer, etc.; maybe later down the road they can ban construction work too...
According to the story Germany wants to ban paintball not because it can be dangerous but because it may make people consider the use of guns as trivial. Complete bollocks if you ask me, but there you go. We all know lots of sports are dangerous, but I'm willing to bet that paintball has very few (%) serious injuries to it's name. Killjoy, many violent video games are already effectively banned in Germany, in that they refuse to rate them or game publishers don't even bother making them for the German market because they know they will be censored to oblivion. Going back to the story, it seems weird that there is talk of banning guns that fire paint but not guns that fire bullets!?!? Smokescreen perhaps.
So it's dangerous if you're not alert. That's not a reason to ban it. So are most things worth doing. Someone I know wrenched his lower spine in a torque motion in a mountain bike crash and really damaged himself (don't ask me how he did this, all I know is he hit a tree and landed in a weird position). Should downhill mountain biking be made illegal??
Wait, can you 'splain this a bit more? Where did he take off his mask? Who shot him in the face? What was the story of the person who did shoot him in the face?
He didn't really give me that many details. I was the first eye doctor to see him (I was on staff at a hospital at the time) and it was right after the incident. He was in a lot of pain. I asked if he was wearing a mask, he said yes, but that it got fogged up and when he took it off to clear it someone (he didn't say who) shot him right in the face. After assessing his condition, I sent him to a retinal specialist for an ultrasound to determine whether there was internal damage to the eye. I don't know what happened after that as the patient never returned to my office. That often happens with hospital consults.
Germany is making it illegal because they think it makes you more likely to kill people. Cosmic, though, likes to get real fascist for other people's own good, apparently.
In paintball games it is made very clear that you do not take off your mask for any reason unless the stewards have made sure all guns are placed on the ground when the game is over. Stupid bastard shouldn't have taken off his mask.
