Tag Archives: paintball

Photo of Paintball Wound

Air and paintball gun injuries caused more than 20,000 ER visits in 2008

ScienceDaily (Sep. 3, 2011) — Hospital emergency departments saw over 20,000 injuries due to air and paintball guns in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This represents a 20 percent decrease in emergency room visits for injuries caused by air and paintball guns from 2006.

There are two things that bring more people to this blog through Google. They are this photo of a wound from paintball and the words “clever trever.”

photo of paintball wound

I have to wonder, is it just morbid curiosity? Do paintballers want to see a wicked wound? Does it please them?

Let me tell you the story that goes with the picture, if you don’t know it already. In 2003, my wife and I were walking our dog Lucky around our neighborhood after dark as we did every night. On this occasion, a car sped up behind us. We heard two small explosions and each instantly felt searing pain in our backs. As awful as that pain was — and it was intense — it was nothing compared to seeing the expression on Merri’s face when she cried “I’ve been shot!” while grappling with my own overwhelming fear and pain. It was horrible and I wish a comparable misery on the shooter and his gang. The shooter who cackled wickedly as the car sped by.

Remember, guns don’t shoot people, idiots shoot people. And brutal, cowardly idiots shoot strangers in the back. mjh

PS- Since many of the “clever trever” searchers come from the UK, I trust they are not looking for my take on the Albuquerque Journal’s not-so-clever editorial cartoonist, John Trever (Clever Trever Two, What An Ass We Have In Trever).

First published 6 years ago.

An Unhappy Anniversary

photo of paintball woundLet me tell you the story that goes with this picture, if you don’t know it already. Seven years ago tonight, Merri and I were walking our dog Lucky around our neighborhood after dark as we did every night. On this occasion, a car sped up behind us. We heard two small explosions and each instantly felt searing pain in our backs. As awful as that pain was — and it was intense — it was nothing compared to seeing the expression on Merri’s face when she cried “I’ve been shot!” while grappling with my own overwhelming fear and pain. It was horrible and I wish a comparable misery on the shooter and his gang. The shooter who cackled wickedly as the car sped by.

Remember, guns don’t shoot people, idiots shoot people. And cowardly, brutal idiots shoot strangers in the back. peace, mjh

[originally posted 9/22/09]

Stupid Passtime

KRQE News 13 – Paintball potshots end in arrest

An alleged drive-by shooter was arrested Sunday after an officer spotted him firing at pedestrians with a paintball gun, Albuquerque police reported. …

On Sunday morning, Ernest Jerry Molina is accused of taking those factors for granted while shooting at people from his truck at Central Avenue and Washington Street.

An officer reported witnessing the shooting. Molina was thrown in jail, charged with propulsion of missiles.

“The problem with this is the guns look very similar and almost exactly to a regular weapon,” Hoffman said.

Even up close a paintball gun does appear to be a deadly weapon, and it shoots like one.

That’s why it’s taken so seriously by paintball gamers and game centers. A paintball bullet can cause serious injury if hit hard enough and in a vulnerable place.

“If they’re shot in the eye, … it could take an eye out.” Conrad Morawski of Hinkle Family Fun Center said. “If they get shot in the head at 400 feet per second there’s a possibility for brain damage.”

In rare cases, death can even result. …

Molina, who reportedly admitted his actions, is out on bond and id expected in court Tuesday.

I’m not an ‘eye-for-an-eye’ guy, but Molina should know what a stupid and cruel thing he did. mjh

mjh’s blog — Photo of Paintball Wound

Photo of Paintball Wound

photo of paintball wound

Setting His Sights

ABQjournal: Setting His Sights


Roberto Rosales/Journal

Scott David Benson, 12, practices his aim with a paintball gun at a shooting range on Wednesday, the first day of the three-day Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety’s “Cop Camp”.

During a three day “Cop Camp” sponsored by the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety, kids got to “practice their aim with paintball guns and used prop guns in a SWAT class…. Other camp activities include … booking and arrest procedures…. The camp was created to promote team building and unity among students and police.”

If you are bothered with military recruitment on college and high school campuses, note they are digging deeper (there is no difference between the military and police anymore).

I think it’s fine for the cops to work with kids and develop some “unity.” I think it’s wrong to train them to be cops/soldiers at ages 12 to 15. Not just cops — SWAT cops. mjh

PS: As an aside, this picture is about 4 by 6 in the paper, with a 72pt headline. There is a second picture that shows cops are soldiers now. Plus a 6 paragraph article with no byline. I could not find the article or second picture online. In an interesting coincidence, the bottom of that page (B2) features a billboard that uses a small child to recruit for Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department (couldn’t find that online, either).