LETTER: Innocent People

Regarding paint pellet guns, I believe that the popular conception of them being harmless toys is a fallacy. The truth behind these novelty items is that they can do serious and debilitating damage to individuals when used improperly. That is why, when I see students playing with them around campus, I am fearful of the injuries which might be sustained by innocent people walking by. Think about the way a paint pellet is made. In order to be launched, it must be strong enough to withstand a hard blast of CO 2. Consequently, the force that must be applied to cause them to detonate needs to be relatively large, making the impact longer and harder. The elasticity and fortitude of these balls can lead to both serious damage to one's eyes and implosion of the ear drum from the impact velocity and strength. If you have ever played Skirmish (a game played outside, under supervision, involving mock paint pellet wars), you know how much a shot from one of these guns can hurt. I can remember being hit on the corner of my face mask so that part of it hit my cheek. Even with the protection that I was utilizing, I received a large welt and several small abrasions from the impact. Imagine what could happen without these precautions. It is stated in city ordinance 10-800 section 3a that " No person shall . . . possess, with the intent to use any air-gun . . . or any implement . . . which forcefully impels a pellet of any kind " and in residential living code 19a that " Dangerous articles and substances: possession of air rifles, pellet guns, pistols . . . and other dangerous articles or substances is prohibited. " Although some imprudent individuals may disregard these sanctions as a result of complete apathy towards the safety of those around them or defiance of city and school policy, the ramifications are real and will cause problems for those involved. So do yourself and those around you a favor, leave your Rambo fixations at home and throw a frisbee around or something. Besides,Gotcha is only a movie. ANDREW WEISS College '94