Why we say "blaster" on Nerf and Nerf chatter
To get straight to the point: the word “gun” causes misunderstandings that are both dangerous and obstructive.
You are setting an example; please set a good one. We have young users.
- Saying “gun” where anyone in the general public can overhear is dangerous for the same reason as walking around with a camo-painted Longshot - someone may think that there’s a firearms-related threat. What’s obviously a blaster and blaster-talk to a hobbyist is not obvious to Joe Public, and a frightened Joe Public will be far more likely to call the police than to ask what you meant.
- Concern generated by associations with weapons has led to games being cancelled. This is especially important for us since our tagging-sport hobby uniquely often takes place in otherwise crowded public spaces (parks, schools, etc.).
- The use of the word online isn’t necessarily safe either - e.g. Facebook’s automated moderation can react badly to it.
Saying “gun” is an easy mistake to make; for many people it’s a habit. It’s a habit that we encourage (and remind and remind and remind) people to break so that they don't carry it into situations where it will casue problems. (Although many of us can easily use different words in different contexts, we're still setting an example.)
There’s no good reason not to say “blaster.” Both words are technically correct, and if you are concerned for technical correctness you’ll probably like the fact that “blaster” is more specific. Likewise “bullet,” while probably less dangerous than “gun,” is still dangerous in addition to being technically wrong.
This is, to be clear, not hypothetical. This has already resulted in a number of games being canceled, at least one B/S/T facebook group being closed, and general grief to players and public.
Danger, disaster, and difficulties can be avoided by just using a different word. So let’s do that.
Here is a simple list of examples and news items where outsiders to the hobby reacted badly on mishearing players:
Nerf B/S/T Group on FB closed by FB because it was selling "guns"
Media changes VIP-gametype called "president" to "shoot the president", game canceled
Assassins game cancelled due to concern from parents
Concerns over dart warz's real-life hazards after car crash killed 2
The police lock down a school due to a report of a shooting, due to a misinterpreted phone message
Another campus went on lockdown for a similar reason, and here's a similar (the same?) incident on the same campus described by another person
Here's a few more examples that pertain more to the risk of blasters being visually mistaken for guns rather then the word 'gun,’ but which still serve to illustrate the point that blasters and weapons should stay clearly distinct:
University of Colorado bans Nerf "guns" for looking too much like real guns
A Campus went on lockdown because a student brought a painted blaster while playing HvZ, and here's another article on the same incident
A game of HvZ caused controversy due to concerns that players may be mistaken for shooters
A Star Wars stormtrooper cosplayer received a bloody nose during blaster-related police response on May the fourth - here's a video of the event
Glendale Police Department stopped a player in a park during an event, incident was quickly diffused likely helped by the bright colors of the blaster in use - FB Link or Screenshot of the post from the Public Group Page if you do not have FB
