Painting your gun with a 6mm - 2" blaze orange stripe on the end

[bohdi]

imported post

This is a nationally accepted symbol identifying an airsoft gun. Why do it to a real gun, and can those reasons be accomplished equally as well by letters, email, phone calls, personal visits?

 

[kwikrnu]

imported post

bohdi wrote:

This is a nationally accepted symbol identifying an airsoft gun. Why do it to a real gun, and can those reasons be accomplished equally as well by letters, email, phone calls, personal visits?

Actually many people who own airsoft guns remove the tips or spray over the tips. The tips are only necessary for manufacturers, importers and stores, and they need to be in place to ship out of State. I've been told some cities have ordinances against removing or spraying the orange tip.

I've seen no law anywhere regulating the color of a real firearm. I believe that an orange tip on a real firearm may make a cop think twice before shooting. Ifa cop were to see me carrying a firearm I do not want that cop to shoot. If that cop sees my orange tipped firearm I believe that cop will think twice before shooting and could possibly save my life. Cops do shoot innocent people and anything which helps me not get shot by a cop is a good thing.

 

[tekshogun]

imported post

I am not against the practice at all as, these days, I have to assume anyone carrying something that looks like a firearm is indeed that, a firearm.

As kwikrnu stated, some people make their airsoft weapons look legit, and damnit, typically all they have to do is paint that orange tip to match the gun for a natural look.

There really aren't laws, at least they aren't common, regarding firearm colors. Manufacturers of guns make them look all kinds of fancy, green, pink, if you look at charter arms, they've got crimson red revolvers!

I would perhaps be more against an airsoft gun being painted to look real because they are built to look and feel convincing but they may tend to get people in trouble.

North Carolina has commonlaws that may be construed to fit someone that has a gun that is painted to look like a toy or airsoft, especially if one knowingly did so.

Kwikrnu, I am not against what you did, but your admission, in North Carolina COULD get a "going armed to the terror of the public" or aconcealed carry violation (if no permit OR it was done with anything other than a pistol, so your AK is fine) by the nature that you knowingly sought to hide the true nature of what you were carrying. It would be an interesting court case on the either charge but people have been charged with these in far less bizarre situations.

 

[bigdaddy1]

imported post

kwikrnu wrote:

bohdi wrote:

This is a nationally accepted symbol identifying an airsoft gun. Why do it to a real gun, and can those reasons be accomplished equally as well by letters, email, phone calls, personal visits?

Actually many people who own airsoft guns remove the tips or spray over the tips. The tips are only necessary for manufacturers, importers and stores, and they need to be in place to ship out of State. I've been told some cities have ordinances against removing or spraying the orange tip.

I've seen no law anywhere regulating the color of a real firearm. I believe that an orange tip on a real firearm may make a cop think twice before shooting. Ifa cop were to see me carrying a firearm I do not want that cop to shoot. If that cop sees my orange tipped firearm I believe that cop will think twice before shooting and could possibly save my life. Cops do shoot innocent people and anything which helps me not get shot by a cop is a good thing.

You seem to be targeted a lot by the police for some reason. How ever even the most rookie of a cop would not shoot you (or at you) unless you had your firearm out in some menacing way. One of the cardinal rules of open carry is to not brandish your weapon. That means do not take your firearm out of its holster unless you intend on using it or are storing it for transport. I have been approached by LEO's while carrying and have never felt like I was at risk of being shot. They may have their hands on their sidearm, but they have never had them drawn.

 

[bohdi]

imported post

If you are soooooo worried about a LEO shooting you for legally carrying a firearm, why are you carrying a firearm?

 

[les_aker]

imported post

bohdi wrote:

This is a nationally accepted symbol identifying an airsoft gun. Why do it to a real gun, and can those reasons be accomplished equally as well by letters, email, phone calls, personal visits?

I think you're asking the wrong question. But the answer to the question you asked seems pretty simple to me: because the person carrying the gun decided to paint it orange.

A lot of time and energy is being wasted in this forum related to having a handful of supposedly "pro gun" and/or "pro open carry" individuals try to limit or qualify how other people decide to exercise their rights. In the end, it's no different than if I tried to tell you that you shouldn't carry a 1911 .45ACP because it's too big a caliber or "cocked and locked" is inappropriate for open carry, or any other arbitrary reason I chose to use.

How you choose to carry your firearm is as personal a decision as the choice to carry one in the first place. To paraphrase something I've heard more than once at VCDL meetings, we've got to stop trying to qualify (or disqualify) decisions that other people make regarding what firearms they choose to purchase/carry/sell/etc.

Doing otherwise only serves to make the individual(s) in question candidates for the next "Jim Zumbo says it's OK to ban Evil Black Rifles because you can't hunt with them" award.

 

[bohdi]

imported post

Les - alot of energy is being expended to try to understand the rational of a person who did something pretty strange.

If one is afraid of being shot for having a real weapon, and then one should be equally afraid of being shot for having an imitation weapon. Then it would stand to reason that if you have this fear, you should not carry anything that looks like a weapon to begin with, or could be mistaken for a weapon.

Most folks who legally carry weapons, don't do anything to provoke police into fearing their saftey, causing the police to draw their weapons. That doesn't mean a small group of LEO's don't have hair trigger mentalities, it means that there is no basis for this fear - I have a weapon therefore I know I might get shot.

You probably will get shot if you take it out and point it at a LEO. That I'm almost positive of. That's backed up by facts. It is also well known that if you point anything that looks like a weapon at a LEO, you might get shot. So it stands to reason that you shouldn't point anything that could look like a weapon or be mistaken for a weapon, at a LEO. Unless you want to get shot.

People with airsoft guns, painted orange or not, get shotwhen they point them at LEOs. That is a fact.

It is an invalid arguement to say that painting a gun in the same manner as an airsoft will prevent you from getting shot.

 

[simmonsjoe]

imported post

This is a double thread, it is already being discussed.

 

[les_aker]

imported post

bohdi wrote:

If one is afraid of being shot for having a real weapon, and then one should be equally afraid of being shot for having an imitation weapon. Then it would stand to reason that if you have this fear, you should not carry anything that looks like a weapon to begin with, or could be mistaken for a weapon.

...

It is an invalid arguement to say that painting a gun in the same manner as an airsoft will prevent you from getting shot.

I personally don't think that it makes any difference what color the barrel is painted in regard to what the LEO response is going to be. So I have not taken any action to modify the barrel on the firearms that I carry.

However, the point that everyone is missing is that my personal opinion, yours, or anyone else's is really immaterial. It ranks up there with someone trying to decide for everyone else what type of holsters are good or bad. All that matters is that the person carrying the firearm decided to paint it orange. S/he is not required to have a reason that is acceptable to anyone else.

 

[TheMrMitch]

imported post

Soon......orange or not.....they are going to treat ALL guns as deadly. Simply do NOT menace anyone with a 'real' or toygun. :dude:

 

[bohdi]

imported post

Simmon - I think it is relevant to have a completely seperate thread dedicated to this specific topic. There were way too many other issues related to everything that this topic is borne out of. Too many threads confusing the details. This thread can cover this issue.

 

[bohdi]

imported post

Les - I do see where you are coming from, but I don't think you can quite get to where you want.

I am not against painting your gun. Have at it.

I can see some sort of regulation be born in the future that states that all toy gun and gun replicas are to be designed x, y, z. That's part of the reason why airsofts are colored they way they are. So they can be identified as airsoft guns and not real guns. To prevent people from getting shot by LEOs. Perhaps all toy guns will be banned, perhaps not. Time will tell.

You could make the same arguement for certain paint ball guns, except paint ball guns have huge hoppers that give them away so it's harder to mistake them for being actual fire arms.

The point is, painting your real gun tip orange to look like a toy, will not prevent you from getting killed by a LEO alone.

 

[Bikenut]

imported post

Wow! I can't believe what I've been seeing in both the threads concerning the "dreaded orange tipped gun".

I've seen the same arguments from concealed carriers screaming that open carriers will scare people, cause police to shoot first, give anti gunners more ammunition to bolster more gun bans, and my favorite... open carry will result in concealed carry permits being banned and no one can carry a gun ever again, etc. ad nauseum.

Replace the words "concealed carriers" with us here on this forum (and other folks on other forums)... and the words "open carriers" with orange tipped gun and perhaps a better understanding can be gained.

While I don't personally have the guts to open carry an AK pistol I do understand that there comes a time when gentle persuasion needs the help of a boot in the butt.

Remember this lady?

Rosa Parks.

Same thing in principle.

What we should be discussing is whether or not now is the time to administer a "Rosa Parks" to the anti gun agenda.... not who that "Rosa Parks" will be or how "Rosa Parks" will do the booting.

And, even though I don't have the guts, I personally think right now is about the right time for another "Rosa Parks" moment in history.

Or..... could all the complaining actually stem from folks being jealous they also don't have the guts? And are only complaining about how far the boat is being rocked?

 

[bohdi]

imported post

Bike - Take AK out and replace with 1911. The same issue applies. Painting the tip will not prevent you from getting shot.

Since you have taken the time to post, I'll ask you directly.

What stops you from getting shot by a LEO while carrying a gun?

 

[Bikenut]

imported post

bohdi wrote:

Bike - Take AK out and replace with 1911. The same issue applies. Painting the tip will not prevent you from getting shot.

Since you have taken the time to post, I'll ask you directly.

What stops you from getting shot by a LEO while carrying a gun?

The orange tip is as inconsequential as what dress Rosa Parks was wearing when she refused to go sit in the back of the bus.

That is the issue.... not whether or not a gun has an orange tip... or Rosa Parks was wearing a blue dress, or a red dress.

Let us not get sidetracked with inconsequential trivia.... please.

 

[buster81]

imported post

Bikenut wrote:

bohdi wrote:

Bike - Take AK out and replace with 1911. The same issue applies. Painting the tip will not prevent you from getting shot.

Since you have taken the time to post, I'll ask you directly.

What stops you from getting shot by a LEO while carrying a gun?

The orange tip is as inconsequential as what dress Rosa Parks was wearing when she refused to go sit in the back of the bus.

That is the issue.... not whether or not a gun has an orange tip... or Rosa Parks was wearing a blue dress, or a red dress.

Let us not get sidetracked with inconsequential trivia.... please.

If Rosa Park's logic was that wearing the blue dress would prevent her from being persecuted by the police (obviously it wouldn't), some might try to figure out what logic she was using.

 

[bohdi]

imported post

Bike - a poster on this forum states he specifically painted his gun tip orange so he wouldn't get shot by a LEO. That statementis specifically why I started this thread.

How does a handgun with an orange tip make you less susceptible to getting shot by a LEO than not having an orange tip?

Would you rather discuss why this logic is flawed before or after the guy gets shot?

 

[Bikenut]

imported post

bohdi wrote:

Bike - a poster on this forum states he specifically painted his gun tip orange so he wouldn't get shot by a LEO. That statementis specifically why I started this thread.

How does a handgun with an orange tip make you less susceptible to getting shot by a LEO than not having an orange tip?

Would you rather discuss why this logic is flawed before or after the guy gets shot?

I know what you are asking.... I am replying that the question has no merit and is helping cause the larger issue that because someone painted the tip of their gun orange, regardless of their justification/rational/excuse for doing so we now have yet another division amongst gun owners/carriers. And that division only serves to cause anti gunners to rejoice.

Who cares why Rosa Parks wore the color dress she wore? She changed society by refusing to move to the back of the bus.

Who cares why kwikrnu painted the tip of his gun? He may change society by refusing to be intimidated.

He also may not change society... or he may change society in a way you, I, or all gun owners/carriers won't like. Just as open carry of traditional pistols of what ever color might. That remains to be seen. But for us to get side tracked about what color the tip of the gun is and why it was painted that color, or if painting it that color actually has value......... is counter productive.

 

[Bikenut]

imported post

To bohdi...

I reread my posts above and realized that the "tone" of the posts is definitely a bit terse. My apologies to you Sir.... my intention was to address the larger issue.

 

[bohdi]

imported post

Don't sweat it Bike. I'm not reading into your tone. I also have accepted that the larger issues of painting the gun, any part of it, are not illegal. It is not illegal to paint the first 6mm any color you wish. Got it. Bought the t-shirt.

People modify all kinds of things because they are creative. Yet creativity is not the reason why I see this as an issue. I've seen the pink guns, the dewalt guns, green guns, blue guns, and have not had a concern about any of them. Because you could tell they were real guns - no airsoft marker of orange at the tip.

So if airsofters often remove the orange tip on a fake gun, why does one want to put one on a real gun, and why does one only put it on a gun that is worth less than $400? Why not do it to every gun you own?

The only responses I have seen so far are:

1. It's not illegal

2. Because I can

3. I don't have to have a reason

4. I don't want to get shot by a LEO

I have no issues with 1 - 3. They make sense.