Age Limit on Buying Paintballs?

[Alpha Centauri]

2 of my friends and I (all 17) went to walmart to buy some cheap paint to run through my friends new spyder. We grabbed the paint and headed up to the counter and when the cashier scanned the balls, he asked for my friend's ID. The cashier said he had to be 18 to buy paintballs.

So we figured it was just a walmart thing, so we went to dunhams. Same thing. We went to dick's. Same damn thing.

Nowhere on the boxes does it say you have to be 18 like the markers do. Also, I was reading walmart's policy on firearms, and it lists rifles, pistols, air rifles, and air pistols, but nowhere does it mention markers or paintballs.

There has to be some way around this bull.

[Lenny17]

Find a friend that is 18.

It's probably not Walmart's policy, it's probably state law. A lot of states have passed laws that restrict paintball and it's equipment, I know here in Maryland you can't carry them in the open, you can't keep them in the passenger cabin of a car, you can't discharge a marker in public (or on private land if there is a chance the paintball might leave the grounds). It might be a bit overdone, but as long as there are idiots out there shooting up people's houses and such, there will be laws limiting their use and availability.

[Alpha Centauri]

It's just the principle of the fact.

My other friend, Mike, also 17, and I went to dunhams in a smaller town and bought CO2 tanks and got them filled. Which may bring me to believe that it's a store-by-store policy. Even so, how can they justify enforcing a bogus rule in one city, but not in another.

[Coenen]

The store can probably get away with the argument that a CO2 tank and/or fill isn't necessarily paintball specific. I'm guessing that it falls under a different letter of the law than paintballs and paintball guns.

We have the same legislation down here in GA and AL, that's just how it is man. In terms of the law, a paintball gun is pretty much considered a fire arm and you've got to play by those rules, whether you like it or not.

[iliveforthis99]

Yep paintball guns and paintballs fall under gun and ammo categories in a lot of places so it's no surprise you have to be 18. They do the same thing here in VA although i found that if buy paintballs (or guns) at a paintball store they won't ask questions so try there if don't have anyone to buy paint for you. Also it's not just paintballs that under the 18 years old policy, airsoft BB's do as well which is an even bigger shock.

[OWNAGE]

Head to a local proshop in your state and support them; they'll sell to people under 18.

[Meuchelmorder]

In Oregon you have to be 18.

[killertip212]

All major sporting chain stores require you to be 18 for paintball purchase

[loldongs]

In Namibia we don't ban things, censor TV or believe by implementing age restriction (except smoking and drinking due to being a peer pressure thing) that will change anything to whether the person is messed up in the head or correct.
Hench we have one of the lowest crime rates in the world

[Tabris17]

In CT you have to be 18 for the purchase of the paintball, paintball markers, and Co2 fills at all major retail chains; possibly smaller stores as well but I was over 18 when I started playing so it was a non-issue for me. Whether or not the employees enforce this is another issue though. I know at the Sports Authority you had to be 18 to get the co2 tanks filled.

[Alpha Centauri]

I went to dunhams a few weeks ago to get paint. My parents were with me, but they were looking at other things on the other side of the store when i carried a case up there. That, and the machine never beeped to check ID.

Maybe something changed in michigan within the last 3-6 weeks. One would assume it would make news somewhere.

As for local paintball shops, the nearest one is in lansing (65 miles away), and they're not that big.

[loldongs]

that won't stop them from selling 20 boxes

[andrewt1001]

In my walmart my dad buys them for me because they won't let me handle them and after i just pay him what the paintballs cost.

One REALLY good way to get around that is to buy a walmart giftcard and buy them online, but you have to pay for shiping. so you could just bribe the guy. or get some random person to buy them for you.

[ems]

yo where do you live in michigan cause i live right in lake city( right next to caddilac)and i go to the stores all the time like dunhams and mcsports and they let me go in to the store and pay for the paint and go with no problem but i have had problems with walmart but then i had a i just stoped buying paint form wal-marto and instead at mc sports or dunhams.

[di$TOrTed]

Originally Posted by OWNAGE

Head to a local proshop in your state and support them; they'll sell to people under 18.

My local shop will sell to anyone of decent age, but wally world and other chain stores do not.


But let's face the facts, you aren't old enough to play paintball