Date:         Thu, 19 Oct 1995 17:17:39 PDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Berry Kercheval <kerch@parc.xerox.com>
Subject:      Re: Tailgators 

>>>"Joshua R. Poulson" said:
 > > Yes, it's attractive, but what I worry about is that when I draw a bead 
with 
 > > the paint gun the target (who's a jerk or I wouldn't be doing this) hauls 
the 
 > > .357 out from under his seat and lets me have it.
 > 
 > That's silly. No self-respecting carrier of a firearm would place it that
 > far out of control.

Of course. but who says that the tailgating jerk is a "self-respecting carrier 
of a firearm"?  If he were a reasonable human being he wouldn't be tailgating 
us...

 > > He'd probably get off, too. After all, I pointed a gun at him...
 > 
 > Having been accosted by police because of paintball guns in the past, I
 > can attest to their validity as "threatening objects".

Yep.  We've even had kids with squirtguns shot and killed by police officers 
who thought the all-too-realistic toy was real in the dark alley.

I promptly threw away my black squirtgun that looked remarkably like a 9mm 
Beretta.  All my kids squirters now either don't look like real pistols or are 
bright neon pink or green.  Preferably both...

  --berry

Berry Kercheval :: Xerox Palo Alto Research Center