It appears Mr. Stein has steped outside of the bounds of paintball courtesy on private land.

We have enough trouble with the perception of our sport being a bunch of loud trouble stirring social misfits without incidents like this. ( we do have our share of folks that meet this definition but we'll keep that to ourselves) If Ms. Guerini story is in fact as she says the paintball community needs to deal with Mr. Stein and his operation as well as any legal action. I will wait to here Mr. Steins response to these accusations before I say any more.

HIRED GUNZ MERCENARY PAINTBALL TEAM
Heavy Weapons Specialist

Doc: If Mr Stein is in the wrong and he knows it this is the last place he will show up. He would get linched. Everyone who posts on Pbjunkie would stand up for him if he has be meligned. From Ms Guerini's email corospondance with Jes, sounds like Mr Stein has bent the rules. We will see. Your da man GFGjester. Way to go representing our sport in a good light.

Thanks, Guys. As a followup, I did visit his website. ThePaintballShop.net Check it our for yourselves. Under Playing Fields, he lists SC Village, Jungle Island and Hollywood Sports as his fields. Hmmm. And he has three retail outlets that sell paintball and Airsoft gear. In poking around the site, I found that if you look under the Sponsored Players section, there is a PRACTICE field gallery with lots of photos that look like they might just be the problem that Ms. Guerini is dealing with. Checki it out and opine...

Updated information from Mr. Tom Mason...

Again, without seeing the other side of the story, I cannot make any decisions. But it certainly looks like they should have more than due consideration. I really wish we could get this field owner to comment and present his case...

Hello Mr. Sharai,

This e-mail was forwarded to me from Nina Guerini concerning our plight with the owner of property next to me who is running a professional paintball playing field under the pretense of it is just for his children and their friends.

The following protest by me has been sent to the San Bernardino County Planning Department over my concerns that our valued life style and the General Code provisions that protects this lifestyle are in danger of being compromised by an uncaring property owner.

County of San Bernardino
Public and Support Services Group
Land use Services Department
15456 West Sage Street
Victorville, CA 92392

To whom it may concern,

I protest the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit to operate a paintball playing field on the property owned by Joseph Eugene Stein on the property located at:
6747 Valle Vista Rd.
(West Cajon Valley)
Phelan, CA 92371
Parcel number 0351191310000
I have grave concerns of the disruptive nature this CUP will cause in a Rural Residential zoning should it be granted for the following reasons:

1. Issuance for the requested CUP will be in conflict of the established compatible uses in our rural living zoning.

2. Issuance for the requested CUP will disrupt the rural life style afforded all resident under the current San Bernardino County General Plan of permitted land uses.

3. Issuance for the requested CUP will permit disruption to the natural wild life that makes their home in our area. The sound of gun fire and yelling will cause them extreme duress. And for these animals to be subjected to this paintball noise in there natural habitat has no merit. In this area we have quail, Kit fox, bobcats, coyotes, deer, Mojave ground squirrel and occasionally a bear or mountain lion can be observed.

4. Issuance for the requested CUP will deny the property owners that did their due diligence of the permitted land uses a reasonable expectation of a rural life style free of stress afforded them under the San Bernardino General Plan. It would deny them the expatiation of raising their children in a rural and quite setting and in which they have spent great sums of money in building their homes. It would also deny them the pleasure of the rural living concept and being assured their horses, dogs, cats or other animals will live in a stress free environment protected from abusive noise generated by paintball activity.

5. Issuance for the requested CUP will deny the area property owners a reasonable expectation of safety for there children when riding horses or playing in an area that is near the intrusive noise and possible flying objects generated by the paintball activity.

6. Issuance for the requested CUP will (in the opinion of area resident) will encourage other uncaring property owners to pursue a CUP for other non permitted uses under the pretence of personal or private use.

7. Issuance for the requested CUP will allow the property owner to keep and maintain the 10 foot fenced area that he has erected for the purpose of playing paintball. This fence is an eye sore and compromises the scenic value of the area.



In closing when I first met Mr. Stein he stated to me, “This area was so quiet that it is almost like camping.” And my statement back to Mr. Stein was, “Yes it is and that is why we all live up here”. And for Mr. Stein to request a CUP for his paintball activity that is disruptive to area is not only unconscionable but it shows his total lack of concern for the areas rural life style. My self and other area residents pray that the Planning Land Use Services Department will deny the CUP request for his paintball activity in our community. After all in Mr. Steins own words, “It is so quiet up here it is almost like camping.”

Thank you,
___________________________
Tom Mason

Mr. Sharai, it should also be noted that I own my property and it has been my residentence for 32 years. I had an established lifestyle long before Mr. Stien bought his property 1 year ago. Mr Stien has at the present time 3 paintball shops (ThePaintballShop.net) and we have been told 2 playing fields. Mr Stien has for the past year without any concern for the noise of gun fire and screaming that effects the surrounding properties has operated a professional paintball playing field. And has had from 8 to 22 car loads of people on his property for the sole purpose of paintball playing.

The San Bernardino County General Plan (2007) clearly states that this activity is not allowed in our RL zoning. Mr. Stein has in my humble opinion (and people in our area) a skate boarders mentality of ,"It is not illeagal unless I get caught".

In closing up until last year I had no opinion on the issue on the sport of Paintball. I have however over the past year after talking to Mr. Stein and some of the paintball customers he brings up formed the opinion that if Mr. Stein is representive of the people that play paintball your industry is in serious need of PR work to improve the image of your sport.

Thank you,
Tom Mason

More correspondence from Ms. Guerini and Mr. Mason...

I think I am able to send video here. Let me know if you get it. I also, in re reading my message to you forgot to tell you that my neighbor Mr. Mason and his sweet wife Jan, who is also insulin dependent, moved into this lovely valley 32 years ago. At minimum, folks should have some respect for their elders, anyhow that's how I was raised. Hope all this helps. We are prepared to sue the county as far as we have to go unless they can tell me where I made my mistake in relying on their representations of the land use. I'm a "grown up" and will accept responsibility for my error, if I did in fact make one. Like I told our supervisor, all the codes have a number, which one did I miss? There has been no valid reason for them to allow this matter to continue for 1 year, and Stein should act like a respectible adult.. Had he have checked the land uses prior to buying, he would have received the same paperwork myself and my neighbor behind me did.. I don't intend to take this time set back lightly, I should be enjoying my retirement and my life, not in a major battle because other people made mistakes. It was a major feat for me to get to this point in life and I need a rest!

Video link - YouTube - west cajon valley paintball

Jess, I sent an email to a contact in the media that I have been working with. Hope it helps your sport and please, if you post anything, take my personal email address off it. I am pleased that you truly are real people and are openminded enough to search for the truth. We don't know how this will turn out, but I'm happy to have my faith restored in humanity and will do anything I can to support your desire to raise the public view of the sport and the professionalism those of you respectible participants desire. I viewed some pretty scary threats online in other forums (now removed) and I promise you I will never make any statements that throw you all in the same catagory as I previously thought. Thank you for enlightening me and Tom and hopefully you and yours will continue to support truth as it falls. I tried to log on /register onto the site to answer any questions if asked but the referral box didn't recognize you. I sent an email and am looking forward to sharing and seeing the truth unfold. thank you again,

Nina

Now that was some good reading. Thank gfgjester for all the research you did. From the first post I started to think some one was getting a little carried away with trying to shut down this paintball field, but as I read more of the article that was posted, I realized that I wanted to know more of the story. With your research, I know am able to find out more about what is going on and until I hear from the field owner, I am going to side with Ms. Guerini.

I would defenitly like to hear the field owner's side to everything but the fact you havent heard anything from him tells me that he is in the wrong and knows it.

I understand that SOME paintball players are inconsiderate and can cause trouble but I cant stand the fact that some many people are out there to shut down the whole sport as much as possible. Basically punishing us all because of a bad experience they had with one group of people. For a little bit. That is what I thought Ms. Guerini was doing but now I see that is she open minded and willing to allow paintball to grow as a sport as long as it stays within the laws of the respecting State and is willing to respect the residents in the surrounding area.

Strength in numbers only means more for me to kill.

HIRED GUNZ MERCENARY PAINTBALL TEAM
Heavy Weapons Specialist

my largest gripe- the city people dont want us because we create destruction and promote violence and "gang related activities." So we try to go to the middle of nowhere and we get trash from the locals because we are disrupting their lifestyle, promoting violence and "disturbing the wildlife." I honestly wish some people would wake up, for gods sake, the man could have opened a private hunting club, a dirt bike course (x10 more noise, trust me), or just gone around and instead of legitly opening a field just go ahead and blow up the bunkers and let the people come. This guy owns some of the most respected fields in his area, im sure he's willing to cooperate.

From everthing I hae read so far no one has passed judgment on Mr. Stein we are just wanting to hear his side of the story. I for one believe the truth will be found somewhere in the middle.

HIRED GUNZ MERCENARY PAINTBALL TEAM
Heavy Weapons Specialist