Telegraph – 07 May 2009:
Experts from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and her Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners have agreed to outlaw all games in which players shoot at each other with pellets.
The governing parties say paintball trivialises violence and risks lowering the threshold for committing violent acts…
A 17-year-old shot dead 15
people in the southwestern town of Winnenden, before killing himself in March, stunning many Germans and leading politicians to call for tighter gun rules…
The new rules would also grant authorities more rights in conducting checks with people owning guns, the sources said.
Sources in the SPD said the parties were also moving towards on agreement on the creation of a nationwide weapons register and were considering setting up biometric security locks for weapons’ stores.
Check out more Glamour Girls of Paintball pictures here!
Thanks to the prohibition paintballing clubs are gonna spring up all over the place. Don’t the Germans knowing anything about teenagers? Doesn’t matter though, paintball fights don’t turn people into psychopathic killers anymore than video games do.
Whoa! If they tried that here there would be a revolution! Seriously.
Maybe they should ban American culture. That way they will limit the amount of school massacres they import.
Seriously, although I’m not a fan of paintball, as it seems to attract right wing idiots with military pretensions, banning it is unlikely to achieve anything. If little boys (and thier older imitators) want to run around pretending to kill each other, as they invariably do, it matters little if its with imaginary guns, computer graphics or paintballs.
“Maybe they should ban American culture.”
Yeah, because we all know that America invented war, murder, killing, genocide, and everything else wrong with the world.
#4 – “Yeah, because we all know that America invented war, murder, killing, genocide, and everything else wrong with the world.”
But they do glorify and in some sick way celebrate it in news, movies, and shows. Kids are exposed to thousands of virtual murders by the time they are 18.
We as a society accept this gory bombardment and tell our kids that it’s all make believe. Except those evil doers taht deserve to get blown to bits by our governments.
It affects some more than others, and IMO there’s no reason to celebrate, promote, or advertise killing in any fashion. Make believe or not.
Time to go pwn some nubs in counterstrike. Boom Headshot!
The knee jerk reaction of politicians to gun crime is an good example of the simple mindedness of our leaders. Unfortunately, these crimes occur, but the way they are used to change laws is ridiculous. When OJ killed his ex wife, nobody should have ever been allowed to cut meat in their kitchen without a license. When that mother strapped her kids into her car and rolled it into a lake, we should have banned car seats for kids, and also rolling cars. When a tanker truck overturns and bursts into flame, we should ban propane heat. And, of course, when a kid is killed talking on a cell phone….
Enough already. Leave us all alone. STOP MAKING LAWS!!!
“But they do glorify and in some sick way celebrate it in news, movies, and shows.”
Oh, so America is the only country on the plantet which glorifies and celebrates violence. You don’t get out much in the world, do you?
#7 – “Oh, so America is the only country on the plantet which glorifies and celebrates violence. You don’t get out much in the world, do you?”
down boi. No one made that claim. Why so defensive? Perhaps you need to get out for some fresh air more often ;). It may help take the edge off.
Another leftist nanny state interfering with personal rights.
“No one made that claim. Why so defensive>”
I’m merely trying to figure out why America is being blamed for incidents which occurred in Germany?
Since you were one of the people blaming the US, maybe you can explain your argument rationally and with some facts. You know, the opposite of what you’ve been doing so far.
#10 – I’ve already expressed my opinion on the subject.
Take a gander at this video if you’d care to indulge.
Doh, forgot about the http:// thingy.
Editor: Fixed! See above.
“I’ve already expressed my opinion on the subject.”
I didn’t ask anyone to express an opinion. Opinions are subjective and meaningless. Any ignorant buffoon can express a mere opinion on any topic. What’s that worth?
If you think America was to blame for this series of incidents in Germany, explain why in an objective manner. The video you offered certainly did not do that.
I guess the German kids will have to stop wanking to paintball gun ads and get back to kinky German golden shower porn.
#11 – green
Mostly true (there are some good educational shows as well). But the leading American news channels (or perhaps we should call them news shows, because that’s what they are) breads ignorance. It makes you wonder which is most damaging to your brain; Alcohol, Pot or TV.
As anti-violence and pro-gun control as I am, I’m not against paint ball.
It might even teach a lesson that war video games don’t — no matter how good you are, you can still get shot in war.
But they need to change the rules. When you are shot in paintball, the game is totally over for you. Not just today’s game but paintball forever.
THAT would teach a lesson.
I guess I got caught up responding to the comments, not the exact subject of the posted story.
There is no way of connecting what’s on American TV to what happened in Germany.
Unless of course you’re a conspiracy nut and believe that the former nazi scientists that were brought to America after WW2 were put to work influencing impressionable minds through all forms of media. Triggering vulnerable individuals into action. But that kinda craziness is more suited for noagenda.
#16 – green
This is dvorak.org/blog… we’re never on topic… 😉
>> Paddy-O said,
>> Another leftist nanny state interfering with personal rights.
Ha! You’re quite the originalist!
Marriage, if you are gay, is “judicial activism” but paintball is an inalienable right! He. He.
Of course they did. They must be seen as doing something to solve the problem never mind that so far as I’ve heard this kid never played paint ball.
The only thing I’m fairly sure this will achieve is that German military recruits won’t know which end of a gun goes bang.
Now everybody in Germany is going to be safe from gun using nuts: not!
In my (limited) observance, negative character attributes like aggressiveness, irrational anger/hate, low self esteem, and resentment… whether caused by societal deficiencies or genetics…. will manifest itself in destructive ways regardless of seemingly influential recreational play.
For instance, there is no way of telling whether a tragedy could have been prevented if only the perpetrator hadn’t played a particular game or watched a particular show. The opposite could be true, where those types of activities are outlets for aggression, which might otherwise externalize in real destructiveness.
I wonder if Germany would reassess the logic of their ban if another tragedy or two occurred over the next few years?
I just did a quick Google to check if I’m ‘off base’ or not… interesting…
Michigan Violent Game Bill
How many paint ball enthusiasts have flipped and gone on the rampage? I would hazard a guess the answer is none! It could even be said that these games are a vent for aggressive tendencies.
Why do politicians seem to think they have to keep bringing in new laws?
Was it Robert Heinlein who said that before they were allowed bring in a new law the lawmakers had to repeal two old ones!
The fact is that Germany already has very restrictive videogame laws and they didn’t feel like they could outright ban violent games so the politicians felt like they needed to do something because many of the German public are crying out for some easy solution and so the politicians are doing this.
I find it funny,
that running around with a device that leaves PAINT MARKS…
is equated with KILLING OTHERS AND SELF..
Maybe it could be graffiti.. but not killing.
My comments regarding American culture were somewhat tongue in cheek, but America does seem to be leading the world in school massacres.
11,
love THE VID.
you see more violence on TV then any other form.
Without TV, it would be a QUIET PLACE..
we subvert or knowledge to TV
we see all this CRAP and have no basis on WHAT IS”.
Whenever an industry resorts to scantily clad girls, to promote their wares (which has nothing to do with having sex!). Then it must be an inherently bad product. Just like cigarettes and cigars, once was advertised the same way.
“The governing parties say paintball trivialises violence and risks lowering the threshold for committing violent acts…”
I’d have to agree with that. And FINALLY, some official body is saying. And not just some peace-nicks. I think all these FPS games are similarly trivializing the killing spree act. I’ve never like the idea of computer games (even text based ones, of long ago) always resulting in killing living things. Most of them started out with dehumanized life, like “trolls” and “aliens”. But naturally they’ve progressed to enemy soldiers, civilians and police. And the US army has they’re own version, just in case what’s on the market isn’t bloody (er, realistic) enough. Part of their recruitment plan. Get the kids use to killing stuff, while they’re still in high school. And keep them trigger-happy, while they’re waiting for the next war.
You know what was a lot more fun than paintball missions? Water-balloon fights. Nobody got hurt. Nor was declared dead. You just got soaked until the balloons ran out. And had a good laugh. The summer replacement to snowball fights. And BTW, throwing snowballs was once declared a serious violation, in the Army and Air Force (I assume the Navy too). Cause, ya know, you could put somebody’s eye out or something. But paintballs they’ve apparently accepted. Cause it’s shot with what looks like a real rifle. And it leaves a stain, like real blood would. But snowballs? Sorry, those are too dangerous!!
Similarly. When the muslin terrorists use their promise of 90+ virgins in the afterlife, to recruit suicide bomber. We westerners just think that so stupid and horrible. And yet, what are these “babes of paintball” if not our own version of the 90 virgins ploy. Yeah, get with the program, and you might get to sleep with these super-models. WHAT A CROCK! They might sleep with whoever’s got a fast car, and huge bank balance (and doesn’t look like a geek). But it wouldn’t be simply because a guy joins a paintball battle. But leave it to these no scruples low-lifes, to promote violence that way. Maybe they like someone to drop a plane load of Dutchboy on their house. Hmmm, well, probably not. But my point is, different cultures, use similar tactics, to promote immoral actions. Yet each culture rarely questions their own way of doing it.
Can’t we “photoshop out” the PB rifles. And replace them with GPS locators? Find the cache in the woods! Great fun! Then some hot lovin.
# 24 Hugh Ripper said, “but America does seem to be leading the world in school massacres.”
That’s only because we lead the world in heavily drugging kids…
glen,
the idea is the triviality…Using a paint ball is showing their respect to what a REAL hand gun or weapon can do.
Its also the thought that HOW do we train people, and get them to know HOW things work. you do it. How, in the OLD days did you teach your kid to hunt? you took him hunting. you show them how to hunt and kill. It WAS a right of manhood. NOW we have nothing to express this to younger persons.
If you look to the future. WHICH would you rather have? A person that can take care of themselves and understands how this ALL works, or someone that SITS at home goes to work, and SLEEPS as a baby does.
The article is missing a few things.
1. did the kid play PAINTBALL??
2. he got the gun from where?? his fathers gun! 14 were locked up, 1 wasn’t??
3. what was the CAUSE of the kids angst?? SOMETHING pissed him off, ENOUGH to shoot friends?? or were they NOT FRIENDS..
this law is an END RESULT, its not fighting the CAUSE.
or do you think this kid was a ONE OFF, and thought the gun was a fun thing to play with. After seeing others run around with paint balls and he AINT GOT ONE. he grabs his fathers gun, and goes to PLAY..DUMB.
The gun SHOULD have been locked up.
The parents SHOULD have known what was happening. UNLESS they were out partying, or WORKING to make the bills. SOME ONE should have known this kid. unless he was ostracized and a LONER, with parents that DIDNT HAVE TIME.