I have heard about the "Swatting" prank, where people make emergency calls to 911 that SWAT teams are dispatched to where the supposed to be "crime situation" is happening. Now I realize that it is turning out to be a growing problem for various police forces and first responders as it is happening more frequently nowadays.

Just recently, SWAT teams and other responders descended on a Long Island home in New York State after 911 received a call from a man who said he shot three members of his family. They were all safe and found the man to be playing Call of Duty online and apparently a victim of Swatting by the loser he was playing against.

Here is a video of the incident from ABC News:

ABC US News | ABC Business News

With such pranks sad to becoming an epidemic in the US, they are tying valuable resources which could have been devoted to real emergencies and exposing the victim of the prank to even greater danger with armed police just outside waiting for a simple mistake that can also be a fatal one.  SWAT teams are trained to shoot and to shoot really well.

The unfortunate thing that those who do Swatting assign points to the level of response accorded by the local authorities such as helicopters, armored carriers, and number of team deployed. California now allows authorities to recover the costs of the wasted resources in responding when they get the prankster and haul him to court.

I am worried that such Swatting pranks, which video gamers do, would also be done against airsoft players as a high number of players are also video gamers --- playing Call of Duty, Battlefield, or whatever blockbuster FPS video game at the moment. And airsoft players own replica firearms that can be mistaken for the real thing and incidents of airsoft players getting shot by the police are not uncommon. Just imagine the greater danger for an airsoft player who may just be on his way home carrying a gun bag and encountering a SWAT team with real firearms drawn against him?

In case of such prank happens to an airsoft player, the best way is to follow the instructions of the police authority when called for and don't challenge their orders. The first thing is to drop the gun bag or airsoft gun if exposed, quickly and raise hands to show no intention of doing harm.  This post at Airsoft Forum can also be a helpful as it is related to being confronted by police authorities whether in an airsoft game, in transit or at home (where the airsoft gun should be safely stored away).

Yes, it is indeed juvenile to do such Swatting prank. It's a waste of money, time and diverting precious resources from where it is really needed. Furthermore, risking the lives of other people through such pranks is such an irresponsible and reckless thing to do.