From the "Why won't someone think of the children!" files...
and oh look it's those (highly secretive, yet loudmouthed) resident nutjobs, The National Coalition for Gun Control
leading the righteous charge:
Push to let primary school kids shoot each other with paintball guns
By Geoff Chambers The Daily Telegragph
June 02, 2010 12:00AM
PRIMARY school kids will be allowed to shoot at each in combat situations if politicians approve a police push to change the rules on paintballing.
The NSW Police Force wants the legal age for paintball games dropped from 16 to 12.
That means Year 6 students could handle high-powered weapons in skirmish scenarios.
Local paintball operators also have backed school leagues, in which students would compete against each other for points.
Police Minister Michael Daley said he was aware of the police submission, which is expected to be handed to him this month.
"I'll await formal advice from the NSW Police Force on this matter. I would be happy to consult with the industry pending that submission," he said. Any changes made to the Firearms Registry guidelines would require approval from Mr Daley.
The National Coalition for Gun Control raised concerns last night that lowering the legal age for paintball would set a bad precedent for firearms use.
"If you allow one [issue] to be reduced, there's no doubt that it will move on to other categories of firearms use," spokeswoman Samantha Lee said.
But after spending 10 years lobbying for change, Action Paintball Games owner Michael Whybrew has backed the proposed reform, saying the sport had been left behind in Australia due to government restrictions.
"My 13-year-old daughter has been badgering me since she was a little girl because she wants to get out there. You look at all of the kids who suffer from obesity and this would be the perfect remedy," Mr Whybrew said.
"I don't think it is unsafe for a 12-year-old to get involved with paintball. You'll get the same types of injuries playing footy or tripping over a tree stump.
"The safety policies are very strict," he said.
Paintball guns shoot spherical gelatin capsules containing dye and leave welts and bruises on the body. In the US, high schools and universities are involved in regular skirmish battles.
Mr Whybrew, who operates paintball centres at Rouse Hill and in Perth, regularly travels overseas to compete.
He returned from an international tournament in Malaysia on Monday.
"It was easier getting the paintball gun through their customs compared with bringing it back into Australia," he said.
The Firearms Registry's guidelines on paintball were last changed in 2006, when the legal age was reduced from 18 to 16.
Senior officers in the Firearms Registry have endorsed the proposed change because it would put the state on a par with Western Australia and the UK.
Emails obtained by The Daily Telegraph show those same officers have no major concerns with a reduction in the legal age if safety guidelines were followed.
In Tasmania, paintball games were permanently banned after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, while both Queensland and South Australia have an age limit of 15. The ACT and Victoria impose an age limit of 18.
Push to let primary school kids shoot each other with paintball guns | Herald Sun
Surely this is a recipe for total anarchy, people!