Lavahead
03-11-2002, 08:14 PM
You may have seen this on the main page, but if not, here it is again. The city of Baltimore is proposing what appears to be a complete paintball ban. Don't believe me?
02-0713 Weapons - Paintball Guns
Sponsors: Holton, Reisinger, Carter, Abayomi.
ORDINANCE - FOR the purpose of prohibiting the possession, sale or transfer, or discharge of paintball guns and similar devices; defining certain terms; imposing certain penalties; correcting, clarifying, and conforming certain related provisions governing gas- and air-pellet devices; and generally relating to guns and other devices that discharge pellets and other objects. - PUBLIC SAFETY SUBCOMMITTEE (020500)
I got that straight off of the Baltimore city council webpage. Interestingly, it apparently applies to anything that launches an object, from a howitzer to a straw with a spitball in it. http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com/la_agenda_20020311.htm If you want to e-mail anyone, keep it clean and mature. Here's the page with all the representative's e-mails--http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com/CouncilDirectory.pdf.
This is not just a Maryland problem. In the last few months, we have had problems in Wisconsin, Iowa, and now here, and this is by far the most serious. And it will only get worse. Regardless of the popularity of the sport, there are many people who refuse to accept it simply because of some ridiculous preconceived notions that no amount of facts or truth can sway. We need to fight this to protect our game.
Clearly they want to "protect the public". Hey, that's fine. But the only people who get punished by this are the law-abiding citizens. The graffiti/drive-by painters have already decided to break a law, what's one more? But we get denied the right to play a safe game, even though we have broken no laws? That is just plain wrong. Also, the ordinance is likely unconstitutional, and not merely on a "right to bear arms" level. Laws in this country are meant to protect people or property from other people who would do them harm. They are not meant to stop people from using an object or device that may or may not be dangerous, depending on who is using it. But by the logic this bill seems based on, anything could end up being banned, simply because it may end up being dangerous. This includes cars, knives, hammers, televisions (they're pretty heavy!), plastic bags, pens and pencils, chains, baseball bats, nearly everything that can be manipulated by humans. Yes, i'm going way overboard, but that is an example of the logic that our legal system is based on--rulings become precedents for later rulings. We need to get these rulings in our favor now, and things will get progressively easier in the future.
Finally, get involved. Tell other players, post things you find out about, send e-mails to representatives. Their job is to listen to us, to represent us. If we do nothing about this, we're just passively supporting it.
02-0713 Weapons - Paintball Guns
Sponsors: Holton, Reisinger, Carter, Abayomi.
ORDINANCE - FOR the purpose of prohibiting the possession, sale or transfer, or discharge of paintball guns and similar devices; defining certain terms; imposing certain penalties; correcting, clarifying, and conforming certain related provisions governing gas- and air-pellet devices; and generally relating to guns and other devices that discharge pellets and other objects. - PUBLIC SAFETY SUBCOMMITTEE (020500)
I got that straight off of the Baltimore city council webpage. Interestingly, it apparently applies to anything that launches an object, from a howitzer to a straw with a spitball in it. http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com/la_agenda_20020311.htm If you want to e-mail anyone, keep it clean and mature. Here's the page with all the representative's e-mails--http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com/CouncilDirectory.pdf.
This is not just a Maryland problem. In the last few months, we have had problems in Wisconsin, Iowa, and now here, and this is by far the most serious. And it will only get worse. Regardless of the popularity of the sport, there are many people who refuse to accept it simply because of some ridiculous preconceived notions that no amount of facts or truth can sway. We need to fight this to protect our game.
Clearly they want to "protect the public". Hey, that's fine. But the only people who get punished by this are the law-abiding citizens. The graffiti/drive-by painters have already decided to break a law, what's one more? But we get denied the right to play a safe game, even though we have broken no laws? That is just plain wrong. Also, the ordinance is likely unconstitutional, and not merely on a "right to bear arms" level. Laws in this country are meant to protect people or property from other people who would do them harm. They are not meant to stop people from using an object or device that may or may not be dangerous, depending on who is using it. But by the logic this bill seems based on, anything could end up being banned, simply because it may end up being dangerous. This includes cars, knives, hammers, televisions (they're pretty heavy!), plastic bags, pens and pencils, chains, baseball bats, nearly everything that can be manipulated by humans. Yes, i'm going way overboard, but that is an example of the logic that our legal system is based on--rulings become precedents for later rulings. We need to get these rulings in our favor now, and things will get progressively easier in the future.
Finally, get involved. Tell other players, post things you find out about, send e-mails to representatives. Their job is to listen to us, to represent us. If we do nothing about this, we're just passively supporting it.