BSA bans watergun fights

[vaskidmark]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/19/boy-scouts-of-america-bans-water-gun-fights/

"Boy Scouts of America bans water gun fights; ‘pointing a firearm’ is not kind"

The Boy Scouts of America, an organization with semi-military origins, has put out approved activities for its members, and water gun fights are strictly prohibited.

A blog for the organization’s leaders said May 6 that pointing simulated firearms at people is not allowed.

“Why the rule? A Scouter once told me this explanation I liked quite a bit: A Scout is kind. What part of pointing a firearm [simulated or otherwise] at someone is kind?” said Bryan Wendell on the scouting website.

The rule is clarified in the Boy Scouts of America National Shooting Manual, which says “For water balloons, use small, biodegradable balloons, and fill them no larger than a ping pong ball. […] Water guns and rubber band guns must only be used to shoot at targets, and eye protection must be worn.”

The manual includes a lengthy list of other prohibited items — boomerangs, crossbows, potato guns, spear guns and throwing stars. Scouts also may not use “marshmallow shooters that require placing a straw or similar device in the mouth.”

A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.  And led by those who are so risk-aversive that they go around looking for any vestige of fun to suck out of the program.  It can't be that long ago when my neighbor's kid borrowed my .22LR to take on a winter camping trip so that he could earn merit badges in tracking, hunting, and cooking squirrels.  (And even if there were no merit badges for those things that was what the Troop Leader had decided was the main agenda for the trip.)  Along with building snow forts, a no-holds-barred snowball fight between the patrols, and figuring out how to sleep dry and warm in wet snow.

Today tiddlywinks is probably considered too aggressive.

stay safe.

[wmenorr67]

It is not your father's or grandfather's Boy Scouts.

[dogmush]

Water guns and rubber band guns must only be used to shoot at targets,

Well, yeah.  Kinda by definition whomever I'm shooting at is my target.  I guess that rule means you can't use one to shoot an innocent bystander?

Also, this would be a great chance for a bunch of Scouts to super soaker up and hit the main headquarters for some civil (or not) disobedience.  Having a stack of towels on hand for the adult leaders would cover the "kind" part I would think.

[makattak]

My mouth was literally agape while reading this.

Thank you for continuing to cement my decision for my children to avoid your once great organization, Boy Scouts. (Coming from an Eagle Scout, btw.)

I guess the liberals finally were successful in infiltrating the leadership. Bravo on killing another non-governmental organization, libs.

Glad I still have the materials from when I was a Scout. Those are at least useful.

[KD5NRH]

The rule is clarified in the Boy Scouts of America National Shooting Manual, which says “For water balloons, use small, biodegradable balloons, and fill them no larger than a ping pong ball. […] Water guns and rubber band guns must only be used to shoot at targets, and eye protection must be worn.”

Er...water balloon no larger than a ping pong ball?  Can anybody not ready for major league baseball throw that hard enough to break it?

[Pb]

 

[Hawkmoon]

I gave up on the Boy Scouts 55 years ago when I didn't get my knot tying merit badge because the troop advisor didn't like the way I tied a bowline. I didn't use the old "the rabbit comes out of the hole, the rabbit runs around the tree and goes back into the hole" method. At 15, I was an assistant sailing instructor. The head instructor was an Englishman who had sailed around the world. He taught us to use a one-handed method (which I sadly no longer remember) that resulted in a perfect bowline in about one-quarter of the time it took to chase that damned rabbit. But my adviser didn't care that my knot was correct -- I hadn't tied it the "right" way.

[Jamisjockey]

Maybe it's because I live in Texas, but my son's troop emphasizes being outdoors and doing outdoors stuff.  Their meetings are outside unless there's inclement weather.  Starting to think maybe I just got lucky with that troop.  Everytime I pull up to a meeting the kids are throwing a football or something waiting for it to start.

Er...water balloon no larger than a ping pong ball?  Can anybody not ready for major league baseball throw that hard enough to break it?

I'd think small water balloons would encourage kids to throw them harder to break them.  I always remember filling them up to the point of them being fragile so they would break for sure on impact.

I should have a water balloon fight with my kids soon.

[vaskidmark]

I should have a water balloon fight with my kids soon.

https://www.asseenontv.com/detail.php?p=832231&pa=sli

sttay safe.

[makattak]

https://www.asseenontv.com/detail.php?p=832231&pa=sli

sttay safe.

That's a lot of money for what appears to be a single use item. Looks like fun, though.

[Firethorn]

But my adviser didn't care that my knot was correct -- I hadn't tied it the "right" way.

Odd...  I got it and I used the one handed method.

Hell, I don't even know how to use the rabbit, but I still know the one handed way.

I'd think small water balloons would encourage kids to throw them harder to break them.  I always remember filling them up to the point of them being fragile so they would break for sure on impact.

I think the problem here is that we have an administrator writing and publishing policy without actually, you know, testing or obtaining comments from those the end-policy would apply to.  Because if he'd actually TESTED the 'ping pong' waterball policy he'd quickly discover that you want BIG water balloons that are liable to pop if you throw them too hard, limiting any damage that can be caused.  Small underfilled balloons encourage harder throwing.

[KD5NRH]

He taught us to use a one-handed method (which I sadly no longer remember)

http://www.animatedknots.com/bowlineonehand/

[vaskidmark]

That's a lot of money for what appears to be a single use item. Looks like fun, though.

120 balloons in three 40-round magazines.  Looks to be about the size of an orange (or 10 ping pong balls).  Self tying as you strip them from the tubes. 

There are times when paying for convenience makes sense.  Water balloon fights with your kids probably fits in that category.

Says they are reuseable so I'm thinking you can get balloons to fit on the tubes.

stay safe.

[MechAg94]

The most fun I ever had with a rubber band gun was shooting at flies.  Just shooting targets would suck, especially for kids.

[KD5NRH]

Says they are reuseable so I'm thinking you can get balloons to fit on the tubes.

http://www.buyballoonbonanza.com/faq.jsp says it's one-time use, and of course $6 shipping may take 6-8 weeks.

Bunch O' Balloons 111 balloons for $22 with Prime shipping:
http://www.amazon.com/Bunch-Balloons-Water-Minute-Super/dp/B00O853BEK

Magic balloons, same 111 for $15 and Prime eligible:
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Balloons-Fill-Bunch-Minute/dp/B00UIFRHOO/ref=pd_sim_21_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1JZA8TR10VQS5SZQ2WA2

The most fun I ever had with a rubber band gun was shooting at flies.  Just shooting targets would suck, especially for kids.

A Daisy Buck, a carton of BBs and a field full of grasshoppers is fun for adults too.

[HankB]

When I was "scouting age" my Dad and I went to check out a "scout night" held at my school. (The school wasn't actually sponsoring a troop, but was allowing them access to the meeting hall.)

When I found out that they were doing almost NONE of the out-doorsey stuff like my Dad did when he was a 'scout, I lost interest. Now of course, this was in Chicago and it didn't occur to me that some other troops might still be more traditional.

Now, every time I read a story dealing with BSA like the one in the OP, It makes me wonder "What normal American boy would want any part of this <expletive deleted>?"

[BlueStarLizzard]

Water guns are gateway guns.

Anyhoo, I'm pretty sure the idiots that come up with this kind of *expletive deleted*it are the same people that got creamed in watergun shoot outs and water gallon fights as kids. The one that made up and pushed this policy? Ten bucks he got ambushed and ran home to his mommy, crying.
It's the same with the folks who banned dodgeball.

[Scout26]

The wussification of the American male continues apace...

[freakazoid]

Ha! Been waiting for something good to use that one.

[MechAg94]

A Daisy Buck, a carton of BBs and a field full of grasshoppers is fun for adults too.

Or walking around a muddy pond shooting at dirt dobbers coming in for mud.   

[41magsnub]

I was an eagle scout and in the order of the arrow.  

My den and later troop was one of the best in the state for parental involvement.  We were lucky in that the adults were accomplished professionals.  Our backpacking trips were led by a doctor who had climbed Everest, Kilimanjaro, and several other mountains.  He'd let us get wildly lost and then figure out how to get back out (he always knew exactly where we were but kept it to himself).  He pulled one trick, we all thought we were going on a day hike but got us massively lost on purpose and he had to camp overnight using just our light day packs.  Our parents were all on on it.

We had first aid taught to us by a trauma surgeon who had all kinds of gory pictures.

We did laser tag a few times.  That would be banned now.

We trapped small game and ate it.

Learned A Lot.  

I was at the 1989 National Jamboree and it was great.

The *expletive deleted*it the BSA is pulling has soured me on the whole program.  More PC bullshit, less of what they are supposed to be doing.  If I wanted STEM knowledge I would have been in the robotics club.  That's not what BSA is.

[Marnoot]

Hmm . . . the shooting manual also appears to prohibit bottle rockets. Depending on their definition of bottle rocket, guess I violated that one with our scouts last week shooting off water/compressed-air-powered rockets. . . oh well. Be doing it again here in a couple months. 

The other assistant scoutmaster and I teach the kids both discussed methods to tie a bowline as each can be easier in different situations. We passed them off for it however they tied it though, so long as the end result was a bowline.

The quality of the BSA experience for a boy is 100% dependent on the troop. Good troops still do all the good stuff associated with scouts. No shortage of bad troops, though I don't think that's terribly new (Eagle Scout mills, troops that just get together and spend all the time playing ball, troops that never do outdoors/camping stuff, troops with leaders that just don't seem to care, etc.). I'm a supporter of the scouting ideals and scouting's original mission. I'm less and less a fan of the BSA organization itself as a whole.

[freakazoid]

With hearing these stories every now and then, would something like splitting off from the BSA to stick to it's roots be something that could be done, or even be beneficial?

[wmenorr67]

With hearing these stories every now and then, would something like splitting off from the BSA to stick to it's roots be something that could be done, or even be beneficial?

Possible but got to have $$$$$$ to make it happen at anything other a local level.  Plus as others and I have stated as far as I know 4-H is still doing a great job in a lot of the areas that the BSA works in plus it is co-ed.

[makattak]

With hearing these stories every now and then, would something like splitting off from the BSA to stick to it's roots be something that could be done, or even be beneficial?

Trail Life USA is an attempt at that very thing.

Not sure how successful it is going to be,  but I'm keeping an eye on it.