BRISTOL - Splat! Thwack! Ding! Aaron Poisson, 26, ducks and rolls behind a barricade, cowering from a barrage of fire raining down on him. The sound of tiny, plastic paint-filled balls hitting around him looms over the battlefield as red, orange and yellow paint splats against his dark clothes.

The Bristol resident and Rhode Island National Guardsman gets together every weekend with friends to have mock wars pitting friend against friend in a messy game of wit, stealth and accuracy.

The sport is a safe pastime, he says, and it's all done very responsibly and all for fun.

"As long as all safety precautions are taken, you're good to go," he said, taking a break from the action.

But Mr. Poisson and friends are not the only ones firing away. A recent string of drive-by paintball attacks against homes in Bristol this summer has left homeowners ducking for cover and those who play the sport responsibly frustrated.

In the past few months, Bristol police have received reports of nine homes illegally targeted by paintballers. No arrests have been made.

"It's a great concern for us because somebody could get hurt," said Bristol Police Lt. Nick Guercia.

While there are no laws banning the air-powered guns outright in Bristol, he said, paintball guns are regulated much like BB or pellet guns. People can legally shoot them on their property, he said, but cannot use them in public areas. Lt. Guercia said that while most paintballers are responsible, there will always be people who are going to use them illegally.

Rock Street resident Patricia Castro's home was hit earlier this summer when she was outside checking her mail. A ball splattered greenish-yellow paint just over her head, against her vinyl siding and shutters. She waited for another ball to come flying her way and, sure enough, one did.

"I got really upset," she said. "I had to clean it and if my nephew got hit in the eye it could have caused lots of damage."

Sowams Drive resident Mozart Turenne also had a close encounter with paintballs. Last month, a mobile home parked in his driveway was hit just before dusk. After hearing a popping sound outside, he looked through a window to find orange paint dripping down the side of his vehicle. Although it took two hits, he said, the paint came right off with some water.

"It made quite a noise. There was really no damage, but if it broke a window that would've been a different story."

Because other homes in his neighborhood have been vandalized with paintballs, he said, he believes it was a random act of violence.

"I think it was just kids letting off steam," he said.

Ballers react

All this bad press, though, has responsible paintballers crying foul. They just want to enjoy their sport responsibly without stereotypes.

Mr. Poisson has been playing paintball for eight years and gets upset when he hears about such incidents. It's a few bad apples, he said, who ruin it for everyone else while at the same time tarnishing the reputation of the sport as a whole.

"This has been a problem for paintballers for years," he said. "It gives the whole industry a bad rap."

Mr. Poisson is a member of the Rhode Island National Guard's 103rd Field Artillery, Battery C, on Metacom Avenue. Named Soldier of the Year two years in a row, he is disgusted with people who make the sport look bad. Only a small percentage of people, he said, use the guns improperly.

"People should stop doing that and abusing society. They should find a legal, local place to go."

Mr. Poisson and his "team" of paintballers take their aggression out against each other in Portsmouth, at the Riptide Paintball park off West Main Road. Places like that, he said, keep kids off the streets, and he would like to see more paintball parks built.

"It provides a location for us to play," he said. "As long as all safety precautions are taken, you're good to go."

Paintballer and Bristol resident Steve Pavao, 23, agrees.

Mr. Pavao has been playing for five years and, he too, believes illegal use of the guns gives the sport a bad name. People have to be responsible, he said, to insure others don't get injured by the flying balls.

"It's all positive," he said of the sport. "They're just making it worse for everybody else and it gives parents the wrong impression."

Parents Tom and Gina Quick of Portsmouth, who own the Riptide course, love the sport. They've taken measures to ensure the safe use of paintball guns, and set up the park in part for their two sons, Terry, 18, and Gibby, 16.

"They just love it," she said. "We try to get the kids away from the neighborhoods with these guns."

Since May, Ms. Quick and her husband have spent their Sundays overseeing the scores of youngsters who flock to their backyard to shoot at each other. With woods and a speedball field, there's plenty of room for kids — and adults — to have fun legally.

"People take this game very seriously," she said. "We want them to keep playing in a safe environment."

Paintball guns at a glance...

* Power: Paintball guns are fired using compressed air, carbon dioxide (CO2) or nitrogen (N2). Tanks containing the gas are attached to the gun and are removable when they run empty. Gun power varies depending on the model, but most produce anywhere from 150 to 1500 psi. Many paintball parks require players to chronograph (set the speed) of their guns.

* Paintballs: Balls come in a variety of colors and are made of a soft synthetic material which normally bursts on contact with hard surfaces. The balls are not actually filled with paint; they contain a water soluble liquid which washes off most surfaces. Some balls are made of a biodegradable material which breaks down over time.

* Safety equipment: Protective gear should always be worn when playing paintball. Equipment includes helmets, goggles, gloves, chest protectors, knee and elbow pads, leg pads, etc. Most paintball parks require that protective gear be worn by players.

by stephen v. martino

smartino@eastbaynewspapers.com