Three Words: Trigger

Like what I've said in my previous post, I am posting the Three Words entry into three parts. I wrote about my latest hobby addiction last time, photography; and this time I will be talking about a passion that has been with me since I was a kid.

Trigger

Airsoft and airsoft guns originated here in the Land of the Rising Sun in the 1970’s when the Japanese government made it illegal to own or possess a real steel firearm. The Japanese had a lot of interest in firearms and weaponry though, so manufacturers produced replicas of real firearms that shoot plastic pellets or BBs(ball bearings). With a wide range of models of these guns, any gun fanatic or enthusiast can surely get the class that he/she likes. Third party manufacturers, mainly for aftermarket/upgrade parts has been popping out like mushrooms on the ground as they try to offer the best modifications to almost any airsoft weapon. This has been limited by the Japanese government due to some incidents involving the use of airsoft guns for pranks in the public. Therefore established is the Sword and Gun(or vice-versa?) Law, which limits the power of any airsoft gun to just 0.98joules(approximately 98m/sec using 0.20g BBs). The average stock gun has a ballistic speed of 84-86m/sec.

Just about any boy has played “cowboys and indians”, and I was no different. I grew up playing toy guns, improvised or not, with my brother and my cousins around our neighborhood. It was fun, having to imitate those heroes from TV like the Lone Ranger and some animated shows.

Airsoft is just about the same, only this time it’s “toys for the big boys”. This extreme sport is an honor game of honesty, strategies and camaraderie. Known to be a “gentleman’s game” (though its widespread popularity has influenced and encouraged many ladies to join), airsoft is a military simulation game using toy/replica BB guns with a general rule of having 2 teams trying to outplay one another either by “killing” the opposing team’s members or capturing the flag of the opposing team.

Any player who got hit by an enemy(or a teammate in some cases) is considered out/dead. The player who got hit should acknowledge and call himself/herself out of the game by shouting “HIT!” then raising his/her hand(and the weapon) for other players still active on the game to know that he/she is already dead thus will not try to shoot at the dead player anymore. Generally, any hit on any part of the body(including gears and everything attached to the player’s body except the gun) is considered a hit. Only direct hits are counted therefore discounting ricochets.

Airsoft games also put so much priority to safety. A player should have at least a proper eye or face protection before he/she can play the game. Other accessories like grenades(working or dummy) are optional.

As for me, I have been introduced to airsoft at an early age. I was in 6^th grade then when these spring powered airsoft guns, mostly handguns, started making their way to public markets in the Philippines. Gas powered guns are also available but they are too expensive. I remember buying my first ever airsoft pistol, a Colt M1911A1, on December of 1993. We’ve done some skirmishes with friends and some relatives.

But I have never played organized airsoft until February 29, 2004, when then fellow newbies, one veteran pointman and myself formed a team based in my hometown Cavite, the Special Warfare Airsoft Group (SWAG). It pays homage to the real SWAG (Special Warfare Group – the Philippine equivalent of the US Navy SEALs) a branch of the Philippine Navy, also stationed in Cavite. From then on, I was practically playing on every weekend possible. When I came here in Japan, I got acquainted with fellow Filipinos whose passion for airsoft is just as deep as mine, thus we formed the first ever recognized Filipino airsoft team in Japan. We named it Team PAIN Japan (Pinoy Airsofters In Japan).