Volume 2 Issue # 7

“First”


he number “7” represents many things in religion, technology, mythology and numerology but for us at AX, it simply means a lot of “firsts”. As we release the 7th issue of AirsoftXtreme, we acknowledge several maverick achievements in this little world we call, “airsoft”.

Admittedly, this is the very first time I shot an AX cover in the confines of a studio (the Maiden and second issues don’t count as I climbed on board starting with the Summer Assault, issue #3). Here, we also acknowledge the first participation in the first “gun show” of the first ever airsoft group in the Philippines and probably one of the oldest airsoft teams in the world. AirsoftXtreme is the first and only airsoft magazine ever to participate in the Defense and Sporting Arms Show.

Airsoft is slowly evolving from a “hobby” into a legitimate sport which opens itself to competition and public recognition. A small segment of the airsoft community has chosen to leave the playing field and enter a much smaller, sometimes indoor arena to play against each other in a much “friendlier” atmosphere—one that does not necessitate shooting each other but instead, a format where shooting skill and safe gun handling rules are observed.

Practical Shooting has taught me a lot in terms of safety consciousness not only in the way I handle firearms but also in making major decisions in my life. Safe shooters are known to be safe drivers and are conservative risk takers. I believe this should be the same even in the world of airsoft. As we are prone to shooting each other in the field, some of us tend to forget that some injuries from airsoft guns are the result of plain neglect and stupidity like keeping the finger on the trigger even while on the move. Unfortunately, there are too many “unordained” airsofters out there and we at AX believe that shooting formats like those of the International Practical Shooting Confederation(IPSC) through its local franchise, the Philippine Practical Shooting Association(PPSA) are unsurpassed when it comes to inculcating safe gun handling and overall marksmanship.

Despite the purists that we are, we believe that there is a place for organized, institutionalized and professionalized IPSC-style airsoft competitions just like in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As one of the world’s leading airsoft publications, AX will always be the first on the ground when it comes to the latest trends in the global airsoft community.


ABS ABANDO
EDITOR IN CHIEF