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My Boy Scout who is a volunteer at a Cub Scout day camp grabbed his old water gun and headed out this morning to lead his cubbies in summer camp. Since he was a cub every Friday at summer camp has been water pistol day. Yes the guns get pointed at scouts and water is discharged from the barrel.

 

When he enters camp he is told by an adult that rules have changed and water guns are no longer allowed in scouting. No form of weapon can be pointed at people and especially cub scouts. He returns his water gun to the car and goes on into camp.

 

A quick read of G2SS does not look any different in the shooting area than the older copy I have on my computer. Where would he get this information?

 

 

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The G2SS can be found here http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/toc.aspx

 

 

This is from the current revision

 

Pointing any type of firearm or simulated firearm at any individual is unauthorized. Scout units may plan or participate in paintball, laser tag or similar events where participants shoot at targets that are neither living nor human representations. Units with council approval may participate in formally organized historical reenactment events, where firearms are used and intentionally aimed over the heads of the reenactment participants. The use of paintball guns, laser guns or similar devices may be utilized in target shooting events with council approval and following the Sweet 16 of BSA Safety. Council approval means the approval of the Scout Executive or his designee on a tour permit specifically outlining details of the event. (However, law enforcement departments and agencies using firearms in standard officer/agent training may use their training agenda when accompanied with appropriate safety equipment in the Law Enforcement Exploring program.)

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Same deal here.

The Friday water fight was PCed down to throwing water-soaked sponges. A freshly dunked sponge full of water upside the head has a better chance of hurting someone than a super-soaker...

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Technically if you go by GTSS, waterguns are prohibited. But here where I live, I doubt anyone is THAT by-the-book.

 

See, this is why I dislike PC. I wonder what would happen if I used my fingers and pointed a "simulated firearm" at somebody.

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I fail to see how a water gun is a "simulated firearm".

 

Yah, you and da rest of the universe with a functional IQ above 25, eh? ;). Whether it's a super soaker or an electronic toy.

 

Since there's no substantive safety issue with any of da "simulated firearms", speculative consensus is that this is somethin' between a fear that if yeh allow boys to point squirt guns or laser toys or cap guns at each other that it somehow means they'll point real firearms at each other on da rifle range, and a belief that allowin' lads in uniform to run around with toy weapons makes da BSA look too "militaristic", at least to a couple of large donors :p

 

That's all just speculation though. Only thing official to come out of Irving is da bogus safety claim.

 

It's hard to avoid Twomorrow's conclusion, eh? Me, I don't enforce any of da simulated firearm nonsense. Gave up years ago when it got extended to marshmallow guns. I think across da country that's been da consensus at the unit level for some time. Most folks just ignore da whole thing, or at most interpret it as just meaning paintball and run that "unofficially" if they want.

 

But at da council level, there's always more pressure to tow the line, eh? Kudos to your scout for handling another adult absurdity with obedience and grace.

 

Beavah

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Bridging on Beavah's comment about Marshmellow guns, are they not a prize for Trail End Popcorn? Did not last years brochures show a cup scout with a marshmellow gun shooting at the camera?

 

I have always thought I was a BSA Law and Order kind of guy but a watergun is a simulated firearm?

 

A thousand tiny papercuts

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PC? Sheesh, get real folks. BSA does not "ban" squirt guns. If that was the intention then G2SS would add squirt guns to "...paintball guns, laser guns or similar devices". A squirt gun or a marshmallow gun isn't anything at all "similar" to a paintball gun or laser gun. It's rather annoying to hear the cacophony of protest arise when BSA does not include squirt guns in the the rule. If folks would just use the brains God gave them... Or must BSA add a list of all the gun-like toys that don't count?

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So it only took 2 hours for someone to send us the question.................anyone going to admit it are you just going to post the reply?

It was me. I included my name and contact information, and did not ask the question under any pretext. We are planning a pack activity for later this summer and had discussed a wide-area game using squirt guns. It never occurred to me that some might consider that against the rules. I would appreciate an answer. If you don't want that answer known publicly (although I can't understand why), I will respect that. I would apprecitate the same consideration regarding my personal information which you now have.

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Did not last years brochures show a cup scout with a marshmellow gun shooting at the camera?

 

Yah, da cub can use a marshmallow gun, just so long as it is used on an approved range shootin' at designated marshmallow targets. ;)

 

I feel for RichardB tryin' to defend this nonsense because from what I understand the Risk Management group tried to reverse the position and create more sanity years ago. Honestly, the whole thing should just be deleted, or perhaps paintball should be limited to "a commercially run paintball establishment providing appropriate protective gear" or somesuch. There's no safety issue here, and as close as I can tell our reputation is hurt more by this silly stuff than it's helped.

 

I like Get Outdoors, though, eh? Arm your scouts with "Heat illness preparedness and prevention devices." ;)

 

Beavah

(This message has been edited by Beavah)

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