Are you ready for a super-fun, super-exciting paintball event? Then you MUST check out the upcoming 2009 Russell County Fair 3-Man Tournament. This event is scheduled for Labor Day - Monday, September 7th, 2009 in the Main Ring of the Russell County Fairgrounds near Castlewood, VA.

The original concept for the RCF 3-man came about a few years ago as a way of putting on a top-notch, competitive paintball event in a spectator-oriented venue. I can remember the first ever RCF event like it was yesterday. Lots of action, applause, and laughter made it one for the record books. I have no doubt that this year's event will be even better.

Be sure to check out the RCF website and Skyler's thread for more information about this event. Pre-registration is required so grab two friends and get signed up before the August 31st deadline. This is THE event of the season and is guaranteed to be a BLAST!

Look for more game info to be posted throughout the week. Thinking about playing? Post up in the forum.

It seems that the economic depression coupled with the looming threat of additional firearm regulations has really put a hurt on ammo supplies. Has anyone tried to purchase handgun ammo lately? Certain calibers seem to be very hard to find [cough – 9mm, .380 – cough]. Well, it looks like the ammo issue may hit even closer to home…

FoxNews.com ran a story on Tuesday about how the shortage of real ammo has forced military (and terrorist) groups to train with, you guessed it, paintball and airsoft. [Editor’s note – I believe these groups have ALWAYS used these for training purposes] Since it is the “in thing” to crack down on these types, it looks like some regulations/restrictions are in the works. What makes this even worse is that instead of going directly for these hardcore users, all users/players ware being targeted. How so? I’m glad you asked…

It looks like our “leaders”, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to tax…I can’t believe I’m about to type this…plastic manufacturers! Yup, that’s right! The major corporations that provide plastic to the paintball and airsoft industries are going to get hit with significantly higher taxes forcing them to pass the burden on to us and all consumers in general! What does that mean? Paintball pods = more expensive | Masks = more expensive | Airsoft BBs = more expensive. In reality, the repercussions will be felt everywhere. Do you know how much or your car is made out of plastic?

What can we do? Just like with all issues of this nature, all we can do is make ourselves heard. I’ve created a form that will send an email to your local congressman (you’ll have to pick them out of the list) that will allow you to notify him or her of your interest in stopping these regulations from taking affect. While you may think “I should do more” you’d be surprised at how hundreds or thousands of emails can influence our representatives.

Here is a link to the form and here are the actual proposed plastic regulations. I strongly suggest you read the regulations before submitting the form so you can address key points in your email.

- Smackz

Keep your eye on Smackz.com for the latest updates on this airsoft event as they become available.