It’s that time of year again when your airsoft hobby can finally be intertwined with your “real life”. So many airsofters are embarrassed to talk about their hobby, because it feels controversial - much like the issues that violent video games went through in the 90’s, where all the mom’s were convinced that video games were going to turn their kids into budding psychopaths. It’s awkward to share a hobby where you use realistic looking guns to shoot at each other whilst also simultaneously trying to convince people that you are NOT a serial killer or a disturbed individual.
Halloween gives us the opportunity to share the fun of airsoft- dressing up in costumes like our favorite movies/movie characters. Lara Croft, John Wick, Seal Team, Die Hard, Jack Ryan, Mad Max, the Matrix, the list can go on and on, bridging the gaps between Sci-Fi, action, drama, horror, reality, and fantasy.
Airsoft guns are great props for these costumes, and you can have some fantastic, realistic-looking photo shoots with your plastic blasters, but you should NOT take your airsoft gun out into the public. There is a time and place for your airsoft blasters, and that time and place is not the general public. Since airsoft guns look just like real firearms, they should always be treated like real guns, and there is no scenario where you would be casually waving a real gun around during a fun costume party.
Airsoft guns should only be present in situations where EVERYONE knows what they are, and those people are all familiar with airsoft replicas. Additionally, unless you are playing in an airsoft game, they should always be unloaded, and without a battery/gas. There have been too many instances where scared bystanders have called the police on an individual carrying an airsoft gun in public, and the police, unable to differentiate between an exact replica of a real weapon and a real firearm, have shot and killed the individual carrying the airsoft replica.
Even if the worst doesn’t happen, you can still get arrested for carrying and displaying an airsoft gun in public. Just don’t do it. It’s not worth losing your life, your time, or your money.
That being said, you should ABSOLUTELY build up a rad Halloween costume that incorporates your airsoft guns, and do a dramatic photoshoot in a safe, private place. Just leave the airsoft guns at home when you go out. And if you have to travel to a place for a photoshoot transport it in a case!
One airsoft gat that has been the most popular for costume loadouts is the MP5. This replica is used in tons of movies, from Die Hard to the Matrix. Elite Force distributes several different versions of the MP5, many of them with the famed Avalon internals, which makes them perform like a dream. I’d recommend putting together a costume with the MP5, and then playing in that costume at your local airsoft field - I guarantee you’ll have a ton of fun! Just don’t be surprised if all those cool moves are a lot easier done in the movies as opposed to real life. =P
By: Leah Del Castillo (Unicorn Leah) unicornmilitia.com