Post by roadwarrior on Jan 10, 2012 23:59:02 GMT -5
source: www.northtexasairsoft.org/boards/showthread.php?12975-New-Sctrict-Guidelines-for-Airsoft-Fields-seeking-Insurance.-AFFECTS-EVERYONE
Leaving the original post intact and posting updates here:
lets summarize this scary set of informations, just so people stop freaking out as hard:
1) New field insurance policies are going to start hitting fields over the next year or so, depending on when they have to renew their policy.
2) These new policies will require fields to enforce "full face and ear protection." Fortunately this does not mean a paintball mask, but it does mean you'll have to wear your shemagh, balaclava, bandana, or whatever you use ALL the time when not in the safe zone, and it also means you'll have to cover your ears.
3) Mesh and Stamped steel eyepro are no longer approved pieces of equipment. That means if your lens is anything but a solid plastic piece, you can't use it.
4) Eyepro also has to be fully sealing by ASTM standard which means some kind of foam that makes a "seal" to your face, and not hard edge shooter glasses. Finally a definitive description of acceptable eyepro
5) Its likely that sniper rifle FPS is getting dropped to 500fps across the board. I have to get "underwriter approval" for anything over 400fps and they are labeling that "sniper" and nothing sniper can be capable of full auto. I don't know what this means for support weapons yet.
6) Barrel covers are now going to be a fact of life. Barrel Cover/Sock/Condoms are now being made wider, longer etc to fit airsoft guns. They will cost about $5 and I'll start stocking them ASAP.
On a bright note, Barrel socks can easily replace dead rags or become an acceptable form of dead rag so that you don't have to carry both pieces of equipment.
In the end its something we'll grow to deal with. it wont kill airsoft. We all knew this was coming and i've been warning about it for a long long time. Now its here, believe it or not.
*ORIGINAL POST BELOW*
Well i had a long talk with insurance carriers today since i'm shopping for new insurance for my 2012 coverage and what I'm hearing is that some major changes are coming down the pipe that will affect every single insured field in Texas and most likely the whole country.
Firstly let me explain that not every field will be immediately affected, only those fields seeking to renew their insurance policies will be faced with these issues.
And for those who don't know how it works, each insurance company doesn't back its own policies. An Underwriter does. These are the people who guarantee the money to back that policy. There's only about a half dozen underwriters in north america that cover airsoft. Essentially SIX groups of people who likely don't know squat about our sport sitting around a table get to decide what is and isn't acceptable as far as safety and risk is concerned.
With that being said: heres the first issue:
Barrel Socks will become mandatory in all safe zones. Mags out and clearing the barrel is an ineffective policy. At every single event i've ever held or attended I run across this issue. Whether its player attitude or lack of enforcement, there's ALWAYS someone with their magazine in the well outside the playing field.
So this doesn't come as a shock to me and was already something I was looking to remedy at my own events. NEW barrel socks are being designed/sold to meet the needs of airsofters specifically. They'll cost about $5 and I'll start stocking them ASAP.
And before i start the next issue, i want to encourage everyone to stop and evaluate the reasons WHY it is happening. This is a REACTION from the insurance folks, not a precaution. There are already several suits pending against the insurance companies for broken teeth, busted eardrums, and bbs lodged in peoples skin. Some guy also apparently has a suit pending over his emergency room visit to have BB(s) removed from his tongue. All of this info is coming from Larry Cossio who apparently carries more policies for paintball/airsoft than anyone else. So i figure it is fairly reliable info.
Full Face and Ear Protection
Yeah, you read that right. Full face is here. Anyone renewing in 2012 is going to get slapped with a mandatory requirement of full face, regardless of age. Right now i'm having it clarified via email (hopefully tomorrow) what constitutes as full face. If a shemagh or balaclava will do, this is much less of a big deal than i anticipate. However, what I anticipate to happen is that a full face mask out of durable materials will be required.
I find it funny that Cossio is also the guy who invented the barrel sock and apparently has some involvement with a new "for airsoft" facemask that is coming out. He lobbies the insurance underwriters to require his products and he makes cash on both ends. Smart guy...
Anyway, i'm getting the full details as soon as I can, but what I'm understanding is that this issue doesn't just effect me, its going to affect EVERY field and producer in Texas. FAA, DFWAP, Me, John Lu, whoever wherever.
If someone finds a way around it, i'll be interested to know how much it costs.
If you get an insurance policy that requires it and then you don't follow the standards or rules they set down, then you invalidate your policy. Since policies start around 1600 a year, i doubt that anyone is going to do that.
It'll be pretty easy to tell who is running without insurance a year from now.... People without full face probably are renegade fields.
Anyhow, feel free to express your hatred for this new rule, there's nothing we can do about it now. These new rules will start taking effect in the very immediate future, as soon as I have the details.
If you want to blame someone, make sure you blame the D-Bags who signed a waiver and played airsoft, didn't protect themselves, got hurt, and then sued the insurance companies for everything they could get.
Leaving the original post intact and posting updates here:
lets summarize this scary set of informations, just so people stop freaking out as hard:
1) New field insurance policies are going to start hitting fields over the next year or so, depending on when they have to renew their policy.
2) These new policies will require fields to enforce "full face and ear protection." Fortunately this does not mean a paintball mask, but it does mean you'll have to wear your shemagh, balaclava, bandana, or whatever you use ALL the time when not in the safe zone, and it also means you'll have to cover your ears.
3) Mesh and Stamped steel eyepro are no longer approved pieces of equipment. That means if your lens is anything but a solid plastic piece, you can't use it.
4) Eyepro also has to be fully sealing by ASTM standard which means some kind of foam that makes a "seal" to your face, and not hard edge shooter glasses. Finally a definitive description of acceptable eyepro
5) Its likely that sniper rifle FPS is getting dropped to 500fps across the board. I have to get "underwriter approval" for anything over 400fps and they are labeling that "sniper" and nothing sniper can be capable of full auto. I don't know what this means for support weapons yet.
6) Barrel covers are now going to be a fact of life. Barrel Cover/Sock/Condoms are now being made wider, longer etc to fit airsoft guns. They will cost about $5 and I'll start stocking them ASAP.
On a bright note, Barrel socks can easily replace dead rags or become an acceptable form of dead rag so that you don't have to carry both pieces of equipment.
In the end its something we'll grow to deal with. it wont kill airsoft. We all knew this was coming and i've been warning about it for a long long time. Now its here, believe it or not.
*ORIGINAL POST BELOW*
Well i had a long talk with insurance carriers today since i'm shopping for new insurance for my 2012 coverage and what I'm hearing is that some major changes are coming down the pipe that will affect every single insured field in Texas and most likely the whole country.
Firstly let me explain that not every field will be immediately affected, only those fields seeking to renew their insurance policies will be faced with these issues.
And for those who don't know how it works, each insurance company doesn't back its own policies. An Underwriter does. These are the people who guarantee the money to back that policy. There's only about a half dozen underwriters in north america that cover airsoft. Essentially SIX groups of people who likely don't know squat about our sport sitting around a table get to decide what is and isn't acceptable as far as safety and risk is concerned.
With that being said: heres the first issue:
Barrel Socks will become mandatory in all safe zones. Mags out and clearing the barrel is an ineffective policy. At every single event i've ever held or attended I run across this issue. Whether its player attitude or lack of enforcement, there's ALWAYS someone with their magazine in the well outside the playing field.
So this doesn't come as a shock to me and was already something I was looking to remedy at my own events. NEW barrel socks are being designed/sold to meet the needs of airsofters specifically. They'll cost about $5 and I'll start stocking them ASAP.
And before i start the next issue, i want to encourage everyone to stop and evaluate the reasons WHY it is happening. This is a REACTION from the insurance folks, not a precaution. There are already several suits pending against the insurance companies for broken teeth, busted eardrums, and bbs lodged in peoples skin. Some guy also apparently has a suit pending over his emergency room visit to have BB(s) removed from his tongue. All of this info is coming from Larry Cossio who apparently carries more policies for paintball/airsoft than anyone else. So i figure it is fairly reliable info.
Full Face and Ear Protection
Yeah, you read that right. Full face is here. Anyone renewing in 2012 is going to get slapped with a mandatory requirement of full face, regardless of age. Right now i'm having it clarified via email (hopefully tomorrow) what constitutes as full face. If a shemagh or balaclava will do, this is much less of a big deal than i anticipate. However, what I anticipate to happen is that a full face mask out of durable materials will be required.
I find it funny that Cossio is also the guy who invented the barrel sock and apparently has some involvement with a new "for airsoft" facemask that is coming out. He lobbies the insurance underwriters to require his products and he makes cash on both ends. Smart guy...
Anyway, i'm getting the full details as soon as I can, but what I'm understanding is that this issue doesn't just effect me, its going to affect EVERY field and producer in Texas. FAA, DFWAP, Me, John Lu, whoever wherever.
If someone finds a way around it, i'll be interested to know how much it costs.
If you get an insurance policy that requires it and then you don't follow the standards or rules they set down, then you invalidate your policy. Since policies start around 1600 a year, i doubt that anyone is going to do that.
It'll be pretty easy to tell who is running without insurance a year from now.... People without full face probably are renegade fields.
Anyhow, feel free to express your hatred for this new rule, there's nothing we can do about it now. These new rules will start taking effect in the very immediate future, as soon as I have the details.
If you want to blame someone, make sure you blame the D-Bags who signed a waiver and played airsoft, didn't protect themselves, got hurt, and then sued the insurance companies for everything they could get.