BAGUIO CITY – The City Council is inclined to enact an ordinance providing for the stringent rules and regulations in the conduct of airsoft activities in the different parts of the city to guarantee the safety of the public.
The decision of the Council was reached after various airsoft groups who were invited to shed light on the proposed rules and regulations in the conduct of their activities in the city snubbed the invitation extended to them for still unknown reasons.
Earlier, the Baguio Sports Development Council (BCDC) took note of the planned crafting of the ordinance prescribing the guidelines in the conduct of airsoft activities and agreed to include as part of the council a representative from the airsoft groups to make sure that their activities comply with the safety standards to be imposed by the local government prior to the conduct of their activities preferably outside parks and public places.
Some local legislators consider the failure of the invited representatives of airsoft groups as a direct affront to city officials wanting to put order in the conduct of airsoft activities to prevent the occurrence of a similar incident where a Tuba municipal councillor was injured after she was hit by stray pellets from airsoft players within the Ibaloi Park where their clan had also their reunion last March 9, 2017.
While the local legislators support the conduct of airsoft activities in the city after it was declared as the Airsoft Capital of the country, local legislators argued that such activities that pose a threat to public safety must not be conducted in public places, especially in parks where people converge, to avoid unnecessary injuries that could be inflicted on innocent people in the area.
The BCDC will present this proposed ordinance regulating the conduct of airsoft activities in the city to make sure that the safety of the public will be upheld at all times and to compel those liable for untoward incidents that inflict injuries to the public will be the ones to answer for the accidents that may be caused by their activities in the city.
Some councilors also noted various complaints from the public in the different parts of the city where airsoft activities had been conducted, thus, it is important for the various airsoft groups to be present in answering the complaints and to clarify issues and concerns on the wearing of their uniforms and the display of their firearms which are considered as replica of firearms.
Numerous complaints had been lodged by concerned individuals to the law enforcement agencies, city officials, among others, because of the unregulated conduct of airsoft activities that result in injuries and damage to properties from pellets emanating from the airsoft guns.
The local legislative body recommended to all airsoft organizations to unite and get their acts together because the local government will only be dealing with the umbrella organization of airsoft groups to avoid confusion in the holding of their events.
By Dexter A. See
