Not sure mechanically what the answer is, but I would say for safety, you should depressurize it after every use. Especially if you have kids in the house. Would be equivalent to leaving a loaded gun laying around. And there is no benefit.

Leaving a gun presurized is an extremely bad idea. First off your mainspring is going to be destroyed from being compressed, especailly if you do it for long periods of time. You will very likely cause it to start leaking. However not having pressure in it will lessen the chance of getting leaks or damaging internal parts. Leaks are ususally caused by using the gun too much (causing o-rings to go bad) and storing a gun pressurized is basically using it non-stop.

And yes, people can/have be killed for improporly handling paintball equipment. It isn't likely, but why on earth would you go around asking for it by doing something dangerous like that?

Knock yourself out.

ThatGuitarGuy wrote: Then tell me that it couldn't do any damage.  Would you want this to happen to your 3 or 5 year old?

oldpbnoob wrote: Would be equivalent to leaving a loaded gun laying around. - Why do you think you are required to wear a facemask? - What do you think it would do to a 3 year old child? - But if you have kids it would be both reckless and stupid to keep a pressurized, loaded paintball gun sitting around your house. - Knock your self out

crotchetyoldpbnoob:

Thank you for your safety lesson, and permission to store my paintball gun in whatever manner I see fit - as worthless and extraneous as they may have been.

As I already know the necessity of keeping potentially dangerous objects out of the reach of small children, my original post was just an inquiry about the effects of leaving a gun pressurized (how the marker is effected, not the children). I did not require a visit and, subsequent re-education from the Safety Gestapo.

I still maintain that your assertion that a paintball gun is the equivalent to a real firearm is absurd and dangerous (to anyone who likes to play paintball).

It is statements like yours that lead to legislation and statutes requiring permits to own things (like paintball guns), strict regulation, or outright bans.

Requiring permits to own (pb guns) or restricting their use has already happened elsewhere in the world, like Australia (only recently became legal to own one) and Scotland.
Outright bans are being proposed in places like Germany, the UK and others.
There are places in this country where paintball guns have been classified as firearms and regulated as such.

Paintball guns have in fact been banned in at least one town in the home state of our next President (Lake Forest, IL). Bans have been in place or proposed in a host of other cities.
In Minnesota (where I reside), Minneapolis is considering a ban, and the city of Hutchinson already has one.

As an aside, soon to be Supreme Leader Obama is not shy about the fact he would like to see a federal ban all semiautomatic firearms, which will undoubtedly be put on the table in his first term. - I'm guessing your paintball gun is also semiautomatic, maybe even fully automatic. Perhaps you are one of those individuals who finds it necessary to modify your pb gun to look like one of those Evil Black Rifles, which themselves need to be outlawed.  Maybe the federal government will come to their senses and classify pb guns as firearms; then you may someday get a visit from your friendly BATFE agent to relieve you of your "weapon".  We probably shouldn't be allowed to play paintball anyway, because after all, aren't we just pretending to kill one another. There is no place for that in our wonderful utopian society.

Rest assured, there will be drastic changes in how this pastime is regulated, and it will be thanks to statements such as yours, "facts" like "People have been killed by paintball guns.", and the irresponsible actions of a few (like drive by shootings with pb guns).

Also, Is your 10 yr old incapable of screwing your tank onto your gun? If so, I'm sorry to hear that; if not, I hope you have them both locked up securely in separate locations.

 "Won't somebody please think of the children?!?

We love our safety and for others :P

I think by leaving the gun pressurized of long periods of time, it will probably ruin the seals, after the first two day's maybe?

well thats my guess.

EastSideRich wrote: Also, Is your 10 yr old incapable of screwing your tank onto your gun? If so, I'm sorry to hear that; if not, I hope you have them both locked up securely in separate locations.

Actually, I store all of my tanks in the basement, and most of my gear is in my office stored on top of a 6' shelf where no one can reach it. At this point, none of my kids is old enought to ever be at home alone, but when they are old enough to be, I may secure the tanks further. 

Also, to be more accurate, it is irresponsible idiots leaving their loaded guns within reach of kids with no supervision, bank robbers unloading fully automatic 'hunting rifles" at police, and other offenses that lead to laws and legislation for weapons control. I would imagine, if you looked deeper, you would find the main reason for the bans on PB markers in the areas you mentioned stemmed from vandalism and/or misuse by unsupervised kids. Which do unfortunately lead to statements requesting such bans.

Lastly, I voted for Romney.

Thanks for rewording your question. Have a lovely day.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/05/health/main591234.shtml - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/05/health/main591234. shtml

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/07/13/national/a124524D04.DTL&type=bondage - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/07/13/ national/a124524D04.DTL&type=bondage

http://www.injurysite.com/widower-of-woman-killed-in-paintball-accident-launches-safety-crusade/ - http://www.injurysite.com/widower-of-woman-killed-in-paintba ll-accident-launches-safety-crusade/

http://www.nbc10.com/print/3880790/detail.html - http://www.nbc10.com/print/3880790/detail.html

Granted, only one of these was from a direct equipment malfunction, but it serves a point, the safety information on there needs to be followed, or someone can be hurt or killed. Out of curiousity I flipped through my GF's VS3 manual. In no less then three seperate spots it said clearly "Never leave the marker pressurized when not in use, can cause seriuos harm/death"

I can agree that the firearm example is exaggerated, but only so far. The point is that something that can easily cause injury if mistreated is simply lying around waiting to cause harm to someone.

http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=3474691 - http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=3474691

Bossier City, LA
 "these paintballs are weapons, this paintball fires up to 300 feet per second. You could get your eyes shot out, it could break the skin, it's very dangerous."
Bossier City Councilman Scott Irwin drafted an ordinance to ban shooting paintball guns within city limits. The other reason for the ordinance? Irwin says, "a constituent called me saying someone shot a paintball gun at his house."
     Irwin wants to curb incidents like that one, saying paintball guns could damage houses and hurt animals. "One reckless person with a paintball gun running through a neighborhood could do quite some damage,"

----------------------------------------------------

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20041101/bb-pellet-paint ball-guns-dangerous-to-kids

BB, Pellet, Paintball Guns Dangerous to Kids

Experts Say Don't Characterize Them as Toys

South Jordan considers ban on fake guns

 South Jordan city leaders are considering a ban on air guns, BB guns, paintball guns and some firearms replicas
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Or again in my home state:

http://www.pressnews.com/articles/2007/12/05/osseo-maple_grove_press/news/5mgcc12-5.txt - http://www.pressnews.com/articles/2007/12/05/osseo-maple_gro ve_press/news/5mgcc12-5.txt

Maple Grove amends dangerous weapons ordinance

Capt. Smith said he directed several officers to review the ordinance for possible revision. He said much of the existing ordinance dealt with hunting situations as the city used to be more of a hunting community a while ago. "With the growth and development in the city in recent years, we felt there was a need for an expansion in the definition of dangerous weapons," Capt. Smith said. "We addressed the use of paintball guns, aerosol guns, etc., that were not mentioned in the existing ordinance."

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Or how about from the "expert advice" section of familyeducation.com

http://life.familyeducation.com/emotional-development/violence/41037.html - http://life.familyeducation.com/emotional-development/violen ce/41037.html

Question: I'm amazed at the number of parents who allow their children to play "paintball." I think it's just another shoot to kill game. What do you think?

Answer: I agree with you. Funding kids to shoot people with guns is unwise in a society where injuries from firearms are now the leading cause of death for teenage boys. It doesn't take much imagination to conclude that boys will love shooting at each other with guns, but surely parents can come up with a better use of their sons' time.

------------------------------------------------------------ ------

It only takes a couple of these to cause bans to be enacted, as long as people can be convinced it is for the safety of our children:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/2007/08/nl_man_wants_handgun _ban_after.html

N.L. man wants handgun ban after nephew killed in Toronto

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 | 10:45 AM ET

A man from Newfoundland and Labrador has set out on a campaign to ban handguns and automatic weapons after his nephew, Ephraim Brown, 11, was shot to death in Toronto in July.

Now, Brown has sent a letter to Ottawa demanding that handguns be made illegal.

------------------------------------------------------------ -----------

Once enough people proclaim paintball guns are indeed very dangerous, and unnecessary, they will be banned.

This, I believe, is why one needs to be careful about doing things like comparing paintball guns to real guns.

My other point was that I don't need a safety lesson. I never said anything that would imply I didn't think a paintball gun could hurt someone. Obviously they can. Many people keep loaded firearms in the house (including myself), this does not mean they are "laying around the house".

Sorry about the sloppy cutting and pasting, I was kinda in a hurry and for some reason, my cursor isn't showing up

EastSideRich wrote: I still maintain that your assertion that a paintball gun is the equivalent to a real firearm is absurd and dangerous (to anyone who likes to play paintball).

It is NOT absurd - it is a perfect comparison.

oldpbnoob said that it is "equivalent" to leaving a loaded gun around, not that a paintball gun is as dangerous as a firearm.

"Equivalent" in the sense that it is a bad idea to leave a gassed-up marker laying about for the same reasons that it is a bad idea to leave a loaded gun laying about.  The damage done would obviously be far greater with a firearm - nobody is trying to equate the two - but the risks are quite comparable.  They both are attractive to kids, can easily go off by play or accident, and are quite likely to be pointed at somebody when they do.  And both can be rendered harmless quite easily by a responsible owner.

With children the ages of yours in the house, I am frankly APPALLED that you would even consider keeping a gassed-up marker anywhere in the house, unless it is locked up just like your firearms (which I presume you are locking up, as a good responsible gun owner).  Yes, it is extremely unlikely that they would kill themselves with your paintball gun, but significant injury is quite possible.  Good parents keep things a lot less dangerous than paintball guns away from their kids.

As a father of two young children myself, I cannot believe that this conversation is even taking place. 

From Merriam Webster

Main Entry:

equiv·a·lent 

Pronunciation:

\-lənt\

Function:

adjective

impulse! wrote: Take the damn tank off. Problem solved.

See - it's so simple even us internet folks can figure it out.

There is absolutely no reason to leave your guns pressurized.  None.  Zip.  Nada.  There are reasons to leave your firearms loaded, which is why people sometimes do that.  But paintball guns?  Nope - no reason.

Here is your question:  "I want to do something that serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever, and which creates a potentially hazardous situation in my house, where I have small children.  Will this damage my paintball equipment?"

Many fields I know won't even let you leave the general playing area without depressurizing.  Why do you think that is?

But to answer your question:  Leaving your guns pressurized may or may not damage the guns.  I don't know.  However, I will take a stab in the dark and guess that you are not properly cleaning/maintaining your fully pressurized paintball guns, and not cleaning and maintaining your guns WILL damage your equipment.  Any normal maintenance regimen necessarily requires degassing.  So yes, the net effect of leaving your guns pressurized is damage to your gear.

As to the safety of your children, you should take note of the fact that 100% of the posters in this thread (other than you) immediately identified the obvious and unnecessary safety hazard resulting from a pressurized paintball gun.  If it is obvious to everybody but you, maybe you should reconsider your position.  Also nobody here said that the hazard is only to your children.  For all we know, leaving a gun pressurized over time could allow a small leak to develop into an explosive leak, causing extensive damage to your little mancave.  Or something.  We don't know.  We do know, however, that depressurized guns are quite safe.

It's great that you keeped your paintball guns locked up in your workroom.  Do you also leave your powertools plugged in and powered on in your safe room, or do you - as a matter of basic practice - turn them off, remove batteries, and/or remove blades/drill bits, or whatever, when you are done using them?  It's not just a matter of safety, but a matter of SOP for equipment of any kind.  You put it away when you are done with it.  You wouldn't leave your bandsaw running while you aren't using it - why would you leave your paintball gun pressurized?

Look - we are not saying that you are horribly endangering your children's lives by leaving the gun pressurized.  We are saying that it is an idiotic thing to do.  There are so many reasons to depressurize, and not a single legitimate reason not to depressurize, that you look like a fool for even asking.

EastSideRich wrote: From Merriam Webster Main Entry: equiv·a·lent  Pronunciation: \-lənt\ Function: adjective 1: equal in force, amount, or value; 3: corresponding or virtually identical especially in effect or function 4: equal in might or authority Equivalent means equivalent.

ob·sti·nate:  fixed and unyielding (as in an opinion or course) despite reason or persuasion

Rambino wrote: Also note how he conveniently didn't highlight the portion of the definition that actually fit this case:  "corresponding in function".

I guess I posted the definition there because there was some confusion as to what the word equivalent meant.
I don't think the word obstinate applies either - I restated the question to clarify what I had originally asked, because I think it was misinterpreted.
At that point I guess I no longer even cared about the original question, and was just becoming irritated at the implication that I'm endangering the lives of my family for even having asked the question.

I was in no way saying "I'm going to leave my gun pressurized! - Go ahead and try to talk me out of it!"

Apparently a lot of people have trouble understanding words and sentences.

It was such a straightforward question. If people were so concerned with the safety aspect, how hard would it have been to say

"I don't think it would damage the gun, but there may be safety concerns"

Or

"I wouldn't even leave it overnight, it may cause leaks, which could get worse over time if you repeatedly do this; but you probably don't want to do this for safety's sake, especially if there are children around"

Or as an actual response to the original question (imagine that):

"Any longer than you are actually using it".

Rambino wrote: impulse! wrote: Take the damn tank off. Problem solved. See - it's so simple even us internet folks can figure it out. There is absolutely no reason to leave your guns pressurized.  None.  Zip.  Nada.  There are reasons to leave your firearms loaded, which is why people sometimes do that.  But paintball guns?  Nope - no reason. If one takes kids out of the equation, is there a reason to take the tank off if you're not going to clean the gun? Here is your question:  "I want to do something that serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever, and which creates a potentially hazardous situation in my house, where I have small children.  Will this damage my paintball equipment?" My question was is it damaging to O-rings, valves, springs etc. I should have added "or is the only reason to de-pressurize due to safety concerns, like someone accidentally shooting someone else?". I still don't see it as potentially hazardous unless it is accessible to kids, which is what all the arguments against have been based on. Many fields I know won't even let you leave the general playing area without depressurizing.  Why do you think that is? I would guess so you don't accidentally shoot someone at close range in the eye or elsewhere, thus causing [the business] insurance or lawsuit problems. I doubt it has anything to do with a small child getting a hold of the paintball gun. But to answer your question:  Leaving your guns pressurized may or may not damage the guns.  I don't know.  However, I will take a stab in the dark and guess that you are not properly cleaning/maintaining your fully pressurized paintball guns, and not cleaning and maintaining your guns WILL damage your equipment.  Any normal maintenance regimen necessarily requires degassing.  So yes, the net effect of leaving your guns pressurized is damage to your gear. I have only cleaned it once since I got it. I haven't played yet with it. I don't believe it is necessary to disassemble and clean if on the order of 100 shots have been fired. After shooting many hundreds of rounds, I plan on tearing it down and cleaning/inspecting; So regarding your stab in the dark, I feel I'm doing just fine on cleaning and maintenance. Again, this has nothing to do with the original question whatsoever. Also, I never once said I've been leaving my gun pressurized. As to the safety of your children, you should take note of the fact that 100% of the posters in this thread (other than you) immediately identified the obvious and unnecessary safety hazard resulting from a pressurized paintball gun.  If it is obvious to everybody but you, maybe you should reconsider your position. What is my position? The only safety hazard that was identified was small children getting a hold of a pressurized gun and accidentally hurting themselves with it. Also nobody here said that the hazard is only to your children.  Weren't most responses about having small children in the house:  "what do you think that would do to your kid",  "equivalent to leaving a loaded gun lying around" Again, when was it implied I was leaving a pressurized gun lying around? For all we know, leaving a gun pressurized over time could allow a small leak to develop into an explosive leak, causing extensive damage to your little mancave.  Or something.  We don't know.  We do know, however, that depressurized guns are quite safe. Thank you for at least making an attempt to answer the question that was actually asked, even though it was done in a rather insulting and condescending manner; and it was stated as "for all we know blah, blah, blah. We don't know". Also, apparently taking the tank off your gun can also be dangerous. Isn't that how the one person who was killed with a paintball gun died? It's great that you keeped your paintball guns locked up in your workroom.  Do you also leave your powertools plugged in and powered on in your safe room, or do you - as a matter of basic practice - turn them off, remove batteries, and/or remove blades/drill bits, or whatever, when you are done using them?  It's not just a matter of safety, but a matter of SOP for equipment of any kind.  You put it away when you are done with it.  You wouldn't leave your bandsaw running while you aren't using it - why would you leave your paintball gun pressurized? And not that it has anything to do with this, but no, I don't always remove batteries, blades and drill bits; Why would this be necessary?? By your definition, is leaving a battery in a drill also the equivalent of leaving a band saw running, which is also apparently equivalent to leaving a paintball gun pressurized? Look - we are not saying that you are horribly endangering your children's lives by leaving the gun pressurized. Actually, that's exactly what has been said, over and over. We are saying that it is an idiotic thing to do.  There are so many reasons to depressurize, and not a single legitimate reason not to depressurize, that you look like a fool for even asking. How is it idiotic if no one else handles it? What would the many reasons to de-pressurize your gun be? Two have been presented: Keeping a child from accidentally discharging it, and to clean it. And again, I never said I leave my gun pressurized, I was asking if it's hard on the gun. Would you then be a fool for not knowing the answer?

This is what I love about these forums. People get snippy, self-righteous, and insulting in a hurry. Everything from "don't revive old threads" and my favorite "that has been talked about before, DO A SEARCH!", to this kind of bickering and name calling.

All you have to do is read about 2-3 random topics on here to find some sort of snotty remark(s) from one or more people. Are you people this abrasive in your day to day life, or is it just while you're anonymously typing away on your keyboard?

Have fun with your little internet forum.

1. Question. No flaming, no "Saftey Gestapo"(I like that word), no copypasta no anything.

Why do you want to leave your gun pressurized anyway?