A curious thing happened in the last 10 years with video-games... They continued to improve in visuals and complexity. Along the way someone had a great idea to make a few war games set in the modern time with modern weapons. A legion of gamers (both young and old) have been exposed to modern firearms and related accessories vicariously through video-games. Many of them grow curious with the equipment in the games and start looking at the plethora of designs available to them.

My favorite firearm was a gun called the P90 introduced to me through Counter-Strike in the late 90s. I started watching YouTube videos of the various pieces of equipment I used in the game. I learned that (at the time) I could not purchase a P90 as it was not available to civilians. I also learned of something called the assault weapon ban... and that I could still buy a functional AR15 or AK47 during said ban. Eventually dad stopped by a gun-shop and purchased an honest to goodness AK-47. I was floored when I got to take this gun to the range and enjoy shooting a modern piece of military equipment in civilian legal format. First job? Bagger boy. First thing I purchased with that job? A used AR15 from my uncle's friend.

More modern video games allow the player to unlock different exotic weapons and upgrade them with red dot sights, ACOG's, Suppressors, compensators, ect... Every time I play battlefield 3 (usually at 5 in the morning before the kids get up) I think about how somewhere this very video game is bringing us another gun-owner who's only interest lies with modern military weaponry. He (or she) is young and connected and our gun owning community grows yet stronger. He (or she) can just as easily be a minority inner city kid who learns and understands the second amendment better than many Elmer Fudd's out there. He (or she) is likely to take friends out shooting who themselves have never handled such equipment and there another seed is planted.

Video-Games have become an unlikely ally to gun owners. We have a growing population of youth who cherish their weapons and they become snarling political watch dogs anytime Washington wants to pass feel good legislation. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are on the brink of a new wave of fanatical gun-owners who are politically active keyboard commandos. Fuel the fire and take a young person shooting. If you own a gun store let the young man handle a few of the exotics that he has used in video-games. Encourage, encourage, and encourage some more. The more of our youth we responsibly get behind the trigger... the more our power grows. I now own that PS90 that I wanted during the 90's and have written and called senators and congressman to voice my thoughts on issues that affect our beloved Second amendment. Thanks to Counter-Strike.

I would like to humbly thank Electronic Arts, Activision, and the many other war-game developers....

You mean so much to us and you didn't even know it.

It's great as long as I never have to talk to, deal with or rely on any of them.

I'd say Goldeneye is probably what got me interested in black guns.

aye

What about the hardcore shooter players who know that it's generally a bad idea to miss, or step in front of a tank?

If that was the case, I'd be spending my weekends dressed up like an Italian plumber busting the shit outta turtles and mushrooms

COD lets Me shoot and train in squad commands and maneuvers without costing ammo.

Team Death Match FTW

Hi to all the ( 1 ) 's

I'm pretty sure the older Call of Duty games are why I'm so into C&Rs...

I will say it has introduced a more of a gun culture. I was influenced a little bit by it.....

I'd say Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was a big influencer for me. I totally agree with this premise. There is a huge contingent of new shooters who have been introduced to guns through games and movies.

I'm not a gamer, but for years I've been saying that they are the only thing protecting the 2nd. I don't know of a single college age guy, that doesn't play these games. They all think guns are cool and would like to have some. We just need to nurture that attitude.

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Sometimes this place reminds me of a COD game with all the over the top tactical jargon I see here.

early 2000's PC games.. bf1942, battlefield: desert combat mod, bf2,  early call of duties, counterstrike, tom clancy rainbow six, and others along with the zombie movie genre influx kicking in around 03-04 got me into guns like crazy.
 

I liked firearms before I played video games. "Video Games" in my childhood was pong, the Atari 2600 and arcade games. If anything, 80's video games got me more interested in CARS than guns (thanks to the coin op sit down driver games).

As for today's COD generation I do believe it is getting them very interested in firearms, but sadly it is filling their heads with enough bullshit to clog a storm drain. My cousin's kid is a big time COD player as are his friends, they all are in the main demographic which is male kids between 12 and 18. Every time they are at my house their eyes bug out over my firearms collection, but the stuff that comes out of their mouths about firearms is double retard strength stupid... and all of it is thanks to COD.

But at the same time I think back to my own younger days and I remember most of my friends who DIDN'T grow up shooting guns like I did had just as dumb ideas planted in their heads about firearms back then, but back then it was thanks to Rambo and Terminator not COD and Battlefield.

Another thing that happened to me with that first AR15 purchase was introducing me to this website. Now I run a blog with a *REALLY* good photo tutorial on building a lower receiver.

I was a young idiot long before many here on this website... spouting off stupid teenage ideas but absorbing everything AR15 related like a sponge. Now I myself feel qualified to steer newbies in the right direction. A few gun counters let me poke around when I was a young teenager... some didn't want me to touch a thing. Guess where my money went when I turned 18?

Encourage our youth by whatever means necessary.

I've long suspected the same thing and I believe you are correct. ARfcom has a substantial percentage of veterans, southerners (gun culture) and folks raised around firearms, but for the average urban/suburban young person - males in particular - from other walks of life, I'd bet that your theory has merit.

bs, nobody in call of duty has ever worked as a team

 

Best thing?  No.

A positive force for gun rights?  Yep.

Goldeneye for me.

I didn't play them pussy ass video games.

Quake got me into guns.

I still bhop whenever I'm at the range.

Agreed, and the same goes for movies with guns, to some extent.

There's a reason the left is always crying about the portrayals of guns in movies/videogames.

It sells guns and creates new gun owners.

Was about to post this.

Video games + Airsoft in my opinion.

* I'm to old but can tell by the jonger generation here

The original Rainbow Six games got me into guns for sure.

if anything.

I have always been a fan of anything loud that involved smoke and fire.  Model rocketry when I was younger, and guns now

I can see this being true with some of my friends.  Older Call of Duty, especially. One of my friends has gotten REALLY into old Russian guns.

Personally I just grew up around guns.

Speaking of which, back in 1959, over 60% of Americans favored banning handguns. Now that only has 26% support as of 2011 (Gallup).

Per Gallup, there have been similar changes over time with regards to polling on banning semi-automatic rifles (less support over time).

I tend to think that's a change we owe to guns being in popular movies/videogames.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150341/record-low-favor-handgun-ban.aspx

Tango Down!!!!!!!

The first Resident Evil on Playstation got me into guns, at the ripe old age of 7.

Oh yea... freaking zombie movies at the time too. Perfect storm.

Been shooting since I was 7-8 years old.  Cap and ball revolver, .22, 870 wingmaster, all manner of bb guns.  Fell in the love with military arms because of shows like "Call of Duty" and the movie Platoon.  

I would say more than anything the reason I like firearms in general is because let me shoot whatever he had.

I think video games and airsoft are two of the biggest recruitment tools we have going into the future.

Modern video games are damn near commercials for firearms manufacturers that young men sit in front of for hours at a time.  Airsoft is just exploding in popularity in this country...it's getting larger every year.  More and more we see firearms manufacturers licensing out their brands to video game developers and airsoft companies.  I think it's a GREAT thing and will insure the Second Amendments survival and the survival of freedom for generation to come if we can keep the liberals from stopping those two things.

That's why I think it's VERY important for the NRA to fight against censorship of firearms in video games and to encourage airsoft. Bills like those that have been introduced in California and New Jersey to ban or restrict airsoft need to be fought hard.

I got a Sgt Rock sticky dart 1911 and mechanical buurrrrrrrrrrrrr  noise Thompson WITH AUTHENTIC DOG TAGS! for my 7th birthday...been all about guns ever since.

Ah yes, the guns were awesome but frag and clear could be problematic.

Nope- zombies are.

I have two younger cousins who love AR15s only because of video games.  Neither is remotely into the outdoors, but love going shooting.  

The one is a hell of a pistol shot.

I think modern video games play a role in making black rifles more accepted with the public; just like the generation before mine were into cowboy guns from Rawhide, Have Gun Will Travel, Maverick, Rifleman, etc.

They didn't do much to create my interest in modern firearms, which predates the creation of the first-person shooter.

This.

I was interested in firearms long before video games were invented, but I do think COD and other modern games are helping to generate interest for this current generation, and that is a good thing for the 2A.

I got a ban for 24hrs for having F U AROCK in my profile.

My love of firearms got me into first person shooters. Is it weird that I'm only 23

Nope. Same boat.

+1

It got me into non-Fudd guns.

Handed a black rifle from the armory at MCRD San Diego. Once you've had black........

Prairie Dogs intoduced me to the love of precision long range guns.....

I was shooting way before FPS' even existed.

Ghost Recon taught me how to identify a lot of firearms.  ArmaI-III was a good resource in how to use them :)

I always liked the Prague Opera House mission.

I owned an AR15 before PONG was introduced...



I don't think I've even seen anyone play CoD.