Boys And Girls And Their Guns And A Giveaway

Posted by Jeff on October 25, 2012 at 9:31 am

Facing internal conflict isn’t at all a bad thing. Without confronting situations, people, and ideas that differ from our own, we end of living a sort of hypothetical existence — unchallenged and untested. Over the years, my ideals and beliefs have been tweaked by my travels, my interactions with others, and by my willingness to consider other positions. I am neither a sponge nor an ideologue, I’m simply not done evolving as an aware & intelligent human being.

So when I decided to give my Halo/Call of Duty-loving 12-year-old nephew a paintball gun, goggles, and three packs of ammo for his birthday, I had to consider the gift’s implications as it relates to me, most notably that I’d be, by proxy, signing off on such a thing — a gun, paint or not. This is antithetical to my personality. Is a paintball gun a gateway weapon? I don’t know. I sincerely hope not.

My gift ended up winning the (birth)day, by a mile. After unwrapping it, my nephew pleaded to rip open the box straightaway and, after a few moments of hesitation and a minor verbal battle, his parents relented. Theirs was a false stance, in the end, because my brother and most of the other guests, wanted to see the gun in action and wanted desperately to give it a go as much as the young lad himself. I stood by, stocked to have given a well-received present (who doesn’t like that?), while also struggling with my own bizarre desire to hold the shotgun and to fire away at the supplied target once it was nailed to a backyard tree.

The JT SplatMaster, a name which sounds not unlike that of a male adult film star, proved a wonderful gun. Granted, I say that as someone who until that day last week had as much 1st-hand exposure to weaponry as my orange tabby cat, she a pacifist. But the ammo loads smoothly (up to 15 paint pellets at a time), the gun pumps easily (with no CO2 needed), fires cleanly, and has terrific range (over 100 feet strong and straight.) Technically speaking, the JT SplatMaster z200 shotgun is a very well-made thing, but that is probably not, at this point in the post, what you are wondering most about. More likely, you want to know if I eventually did let ‘er rip? Well, yes, yes I did, and I loved every damn minute of it. Within seconds, I was imagining myself owning a JT SplatMaster and practicing my shot in my own backyard.

For me, this unexpected joy wasn’t about violence or aggression. Not even a little bit. I think what I enjoyed about using the JT SplatMaster paint gun is exactly what I enjoy about most everything in life: competition, with others and with myself, and trying to be skillfully awesome at whatever it is I am trying to do.

We all lined up behind the birthday boy to take a few shoots, with out loud instructions on how to hold the gun when not in use, how to use the easy to manage safety button located right above the handle and trigger, and how to aim and fire. The girls too got their chance and did well, meaning this gun isn’t just for the fellas. Funny side note: one of the young ladies at the party volunteered to wear the target as she ziplinned between trees, offering herself up as moving human target to anyone who wanted to shoot, from a considerable distance, at something other than tree bark. Thankfully, no one took the crackpot up on the offer, although I’m sure some where tempted!

I won the impromptu sharp shooter contest that sprung up, one that involved pivoting about 180 degrees to hit three different targets of different distances with just three paint bullets. I did so in 6-seconds flat. Keep in mind that, other than making purchasing decisions on grand vacations and buying expensive major home appliances, I’d never pulled the trigger on anything before that day. AND, I was competing against the boy’s other uncle, who is a hunter, a dude who has actually shot and killed living creatures. But he wasn’t as sharp as this pale-faced assassin on that Sunday. Hell yeah.

Sure, I had to apologize to my sister-in-law for the possible carnage my pseudo-violent gift will cause, but I did my due diligence in running the gift idea past my brother beforehand. He gave the thumbs up, saying it was something they were considering anyway. Before the end of the party day, all the ammo I gave had been used, and my brother had ordered reinforcements in the form of a box of 1000 paint pellets. The quality and success of the JT SplatMaster was undeniable!

My conscience is clear. A boy is happy. And I discovered that I kinda dig focusing in like a White House rooftop sniper. I’m not sure that this is the definition of a man evolving, but I certainly learned something new about myself, and such discoveries are integral during a well-lived life.

Starting 10/29, and for a limited time, receive a free 50-count of the 100% biodegradable, non-toxic ammo with the purchase of a gun directly from JT SplatMaster. Or pick up these paintball goodies from Amazon. Or try your hand at winning a JT SplatMaster bundle below!!

I think you and your bigger kids are gonna enjoy this safe and fun paintball gun, even if you, like me, would usually rather spray water over yellow flowers than yellow paint over tree trunks.

Like JT SplatMaster on Facebook.

*OWTK received a sample of the JT SplatMaster for review consideration. The opinions above and honest and unbiased, as always, and I really did win the shooting contest in 6-seconds.

The JT SplatMaster Bundle Giveaway

Oh man, the lucky winner of this giveaway is gonna have one ecstatic kid. Here’s your chance to take home a sweet bundle package including a JT SplatMaster z200 shotgun, a pair of Optix goggles, and a 50-count grenade of ammo. Follow the instructions for all the ways you can enter. Good luck, ya’ll.

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