That accident was so bizarre, I had to check out just how much pressure was in those air tanks. I finally found one that gave numbers. This example (a fancy competition air tank) was made of aluminum, and was rated at a pressure of 3000 PSI. As the saying goes, "Woah, Nelly!", no wonder it took off like a rocket.
 | Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years. Thanks, CNET Support |
General discussion
Woman "shot"/killed - paint ball gun
Discussion is locked
9 Posts
- Collapse
- Collapse -
It's always stunning how quickly life can end in such unexpected ways.
- Collapse -
It just hit me considering that story, what about a CO2 fire extinguisher?
Need you ask, I just had to know, so I checked. 2900 PSI. That gave me a sudden new respect for those things.
- Collapse -
Dear J Vega
Thanks for extending the warning.
Re things that are for either adults or children which are dangerous: if screws are visible or accessible they are normally the sort that cannot be unscrewed with the usual "handy screwdriver" that you keep in the top drawer in the kitchen, rather, being those which require a specialist tool or are "over-sealed" with a plastic compound. I guess this wasn't true for the paintball guns and it might not be a bad idea checking out what else (either toys or gadgets around the house) might not be quite as kiddie-proof as we'd like.
The paintball item was a very unfortunate accident (to say the least) for all involved and let's hope that "forewarned is forearmed" for the rest of us.
Regards
Mo
- Collapse -
that the CO2 cylinder in the gun was malfunctioning, not firing the paint balls and they thought it was discharged or they had gotten an empty one from the store and were trying to replace it with a fresh cylinder. These cylinders are quite common, used in BB and pellet guns before paintball guns. This may have been an unavoidable accident short of actually knowing the cylinder was defective ahead of time and finding a way to discharge it before attempting removal.
- Collapse -
(I appreciate that it was meant to be explanatory rather than reassuring and thank you.)
If these cylinders are common, shouldn't they be better tested and shouldn't they have proper instructions as to their use (both at point of sale and on the product itself)? Maybe they have instructions already - I don't know - but a malfunction within the realms of proper use (eg they were just trying to change it and didn't throw it onto a fire or otherwise mis-use it) must be considered quite unacceptable. If this was the case, I assume someone will be on the other end of a lawsuit 
and whilst we don't really like the idea of becoming as litigious as the US, I would personally make an exception and support this one.
Please let me know how this moves forward, both litigation and any safety guidelines issued, as this is surely the sort of accident that shouldn't happen twice.
Regards
Mo
- Collapse -
Note the warning about Federal Law on bottom.
A different brand
Would be nice if the article had stated what brand killed the woman. I suspect the cylinder they are refering to is this larger, more powerful one that weighs over a pound and with considerable more pressure.
Here's a picture of the larger tank.
When I first read the article I thought they were speaking of the very common smaller cylinders, but I now suspect they were refering to this larger, over a pound size, cylinder.
- Collapse -
.
- Collapse -
James, she wasn't killed with a throw-away 50 cent C02 cartridge. Here's a link to the actual paintball range/club of the story. Look at their store to get a picture of the guns. Then hit the rental information and note the rates for refilling the CO2 gas tanks: 12oz=$3, 160z=$4, 20oz=$5.
Link to the actual club/range/store: http://www.roapaintball.com/
CNET Forums
Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Roadshow Autos
Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic