Germany moves to outlaw paintball-says games like paintball encourage violence

[The Straight Story]

Germany moves to outlaw paintball

Berlin says games like paintball encourage violence

The German government says it plans to ban combat games such as paintball, in response to a recent school shooting.

The new measures being proposed to parliament also include tighter gun control rules and give officials the right to conduct checks on gun owners.

Anyone defying the proposed new rule could face a 5,000-euro (£4,474) fine.

Sixteen people, including the gunman, were killed in the school shooting in March. Relatives of the victims say the new measures do not go far enough.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8041320.stm

See all these years folks have worried about fundies coming to power and enacting idiotic laws to protect us poor sinners from our ways.

Turns out religion is not the issue - it is stupid people with dumb ideas who want to protect us all from everything. It is no longer pass this law to please god and save souls, it is pass this law because me and my buddies think it is a good idea and we are saving your life.

In the end, folks still see other people as easily swayed by demons..err games like paintball and the preachers have moved from the pulpit to the government and traded faith for a new idealism that believes the same way but can be sold because it does not contain 'god is behind the reasoning'.

Same actions, different reasons = same results.

Teh Stoopid, it hurts.

[BattyDem]

1. I don't think paintball encourages violence, but ...

dodgeball is an entirely different story. Grade school gym class would always end with half the kids having at least one big welt on their body from that damn red ball! :rofl:

[applegrove]

2. I loved dodgeball. I was usually one of the last people standing. Though

I didn't play at a time when I could throw the ball really hard. I think our school stopped kids playing dodgeball in about grade 5. If you played all the way up to grade 8 I could see how it could result in welts.

[The Straight Story]

7. I thought it was fun as well and taught me something

I had to see who had the ball, how they would toss it, anticipate where they were aiming, and hone my reflexes to avoid the ball.

It was a fun challenge that didn't hurt. I don't see why so much fuss has been made about it over the years - although I could guess that the kids who did poorly at it eventually grew up to become lawmakers :rofl:

[BattyDem]

9. Didn't hurt? Did you use the red ball? The freakin' thing was textured!

Remember this?



It wasn't bad if your clothing covered the area that got hit, but if that ball hit skin ... DAMN! :-(

[The Straight Story]

12. I got hit a lot worse with such a ball while playing kickball

Not paying attention and having one smack you upside the head...now that hurt :)

In dodgeball I paid attention, you knew someone was out to hit you with it, so you adjusted and 'dodged'.

I generally hated gym class, except when it came to dodgeball.

[BattyDem]

8. Luckily, I knew how to duck, LOL!

Some kids didn't and they never failed to get hit in the face. OUCH!

[NeedleCast]

3. Wow...I feel sorry for the children of the future

What a bland, boring world they'll occupy. It'll be safe, to be sure, but when everything is illegal, what's the point in being alive?

[tabasco]

5. Germany is far from bland and boring.

I think they will survive without paintball.

[NeedleCast]

11. But they shouldn't have to, and that's the point

You may not care about Paintball in particular, but it's just one more step down the road.

[tabasco]

13. That's for the Germans to decide.

There's enough problems in the USA for me to worry about.

[The Straight Story]

14. Maybe so, but I think you miss the larger picture

The all too common ideal that A leads to B and that banning A fixes your problems when in reality they only make you feel better without doing jack.

Passing laws that make you feel safer while not actually making you safer seems to be all too common these days.

[tabasco]

15. Different countries do different things to reduce violence.

All of them are having more success than the USA.

[ZombieHorde]

10. "what's the point in being alive?"

To rebel.

[Kaleva]

4. They should ban painting. Would have saved millions of lives

[CBR]

6. Silly. nt

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

16. That's fucking stupid

I'm surprised NJ hasn't tried it.