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Airsoft, which is the recreational use of imitation firearms capable of firing plastic BBs, is a rapidly growing pastime in the United States.  Ranging from target practice to organized war gaming, the many uses of airsoft paraphernalia are highly appealing to those looking for an exciting way to incorporate the great outdoors, strategy, athleticism, friends, and, of course, guns into one glorious activity.  Yet there are very real dangers associated with this sport that are important to be aware of, even if you do not intend to play airsoft.  Airsoft is an extremely enjoyable activity and a wonderful way to spend time with friends, but if you are not willing to take the necessary precautions to ensure others’ and your own safety, then you don’t deserve to use an airsoft gun.  Without a proper understanding of the dangers of even holding an airsoft gun, you risk your safety, the safety of those around you, your freedom, and even your life.

The first precaution necessary when playing airsoft is avoiding the obvious risk of bodily damage to the participants.  Airsoft guns are capable of firing BBs at very high speeds often ranging anywhere from one hundred to five hundred feet per second depending on the power of the gun and the mass of the BB used.  While being shot by one of these BBs will not inflict any serious bodily harm, they can leave a pretty serious welt in some cases, occasionally even breaking the skin.  If you get shot in the eye, however, it’s a whole different story.  Being shot in the eye by an airsoft gun can lead to anything from temporary damage or eye surgery to permanent blindness, but even if you are fortunate enough to endure such an injury without any permanent effects it will still hurt like crazy!  Despite what one is inclined to think about the odds of such an injury, there are countless instances around the country of such accidents, but at the same time, there is an extremely easy and extremely effective way of avoiding them: wear your eye protection.  Eye protection options range from impact resistant glasses, to high strength goggles, to paintball masks.  Personally, I would strongly dissuade the use of any eye protection that does not completely wrap around the eyes in such a way that blocks BBs from coming in at any angle.  Also make sure that your eye protection is strong enough to withstand countless impacts from a very high-powered gun.  If your eye protection isn’t strong enough to withstand anything you might possibly encounter on the battlefield or shooting range, even if you are not being shot at, then do not shoot at all.  Also remember that ricocheting BBs can be just as dangerous as BBs shot directly at you.  You just don’t want to take any chances.

Though it is important to remember to always wear eye protection, it is just as important that you ensure that everyone remotely near where you are firing is also wearing the appropriate eye protection.  Whenever you play airsoft, you are responsible not only for your own protection, but also for that of everyone around you.  Imagine the guilt that you would have if you blinded your friend for life.  It simply is not worth the risk of so drastically reducing the quality of life for your friend for the rest of his life simply because of the inconvenience of making sure that he wears his eye protection, not to mention the fact that you could have to pay the medical bills.  Sure, you might look a little paranoid and your friend might even get mad at you for asking him to take these precautions, but any true friend would recognize that this short term inconvenience far outweighs the long term implications of the potential alternative.  Again, if the necessary precautions are not being taken, don’t play.  Too many times I have seen people wearing eye protection for ninety percent of the time, but taking it off just because they are only watching the conclusion of a match.  Until all guns have come to a cease fire and are put on safety as well as are pointing away from any human target, it is imperative that all eye protection remains on.

The second necessary precaution when playing airsoft is avoiding the risk of bodily damage to the public and of physical damage to property.  Always be careful of where you play airsoft.  For example, don’t shoot your airsoft gun in a place where there will be people who do not have the proper protection on even if they are not participating in the fun.  Just because they aren’t smart enough to go out and join you doesn’t mean they don’t have value as a human being.  In addition, if someone does happen to wander too near to your airsoft activities, make sure that you take the time to inform them of the situation and of the need for eye protection.  In addition to ensuring the safety of the public, it is also important to ensure the safety of the surrounding property.  Generally, it’s not a good idea to play airsoft around automobiles since the paint and windows can easily be chipped or cracked.  Also, don’t shoot in the direction of housing in order to avoid denting the siding, cracking windows, or chipping wood.  Finally, make sure that if you are having an airsoft battle, your opponents don’t have to risk damaging personal property if they are to have a chance at hitting you.

Finally, the third necessary precaution, and perhaps the most important, is ensuring that you are abiding by all federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding the sale, possession, and discharge of airsoft guns.  If nothing else, you should at least be aware of these two federal laws since they will be applied universally no matter where you are in the United States.  First is the law mandating that you must be 18 years or older in order to purchase an airsoft gun (though you do not have to be 18 to legally use an airsoft gun).  Thus, if you are not yet 18, make sure that you get your parents to purchase any airsoft gun you want.  The second law that you should know is extremely important and is perhaps the most important thing that you could possibly learn from this article.  Whenever you purchase an airsoft gun it should always come with a blaze orange tip attached to it.  As you may or may not be aware, this orange tip is often the only distinguishing factor that makes it recognizable as an airsoft gun and not a real gun!  Federal law states that “No person shall manufacture, enter into commerce, ship, transport, or receive any toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm (‘device’) covered by this part as set forth in Sec. 1150.1 of this part unless such device contains, or has affixed to it, one of the markings set forth in Sec. 1150.3 of this part, or unless this prohibition has been waived by Sec. 1150.4 of this part.”  This particular law goes on to specify the specific markings (of which one is required) as either, one, “A blaze orange…solid plug permanently affixed to the muzzle end of the barrel as an integral part of the entire device and recessed no more than 6 millimeters from the muzzle end of the barrel,” two, “A blaze orange…marking permanently affixed to the exterior surface of the barrel, covering the circumference of the barrel from the muzzle end for a depth of at least 6 millimeters,” three, “Construction of the device entirely of transparent or translucent materials which permits unmistakable observation of the device’s complete contents,” or four, “Coloration of the entire exterior surface of the device in white, bright red, bright orange, bright yellow, bright green, bright blue, bright pink, or bright purple, either singly or as the predominant color in combination with other colors in any pattern” (note that the law does specify a very specific “blaze orange” color in the full text for the first two distinguishable features).  Though it is difficult to find a definitive answer on whether it is lawful to remove the orange marking on the end of airsoft guns after the purchase, I would strongly advise against it for several reasons.  First of all, the phrase “permanently affixed to the muzzle end of the barrel as an integral part of the entire device” leads one to believe that the marking is intended to be permanent and not to be removed.  Though this does not definitively state that it cannot be removed after purchase (as this law is about the commerce regarding such imitation firearms), it could also be argued that if you intend on transporting your airsoft gun, then the appropriate marking should remain intact.

In addition to the legal reasons why you should leave the orange marking on your gun intact, it should also be common sense.  Because airsoft guns are often so incredibly realistic looking, to take off the orange tip would be to remove the gun’s ability to be distinguished from a real firearm.  If people in your community see you brandishing a gun that they believe to be real, it is highly likely that they will be highly distressed and potentially even call the police.  Also, in many instances, when the police encounter an individual with what appears to be a genuine firearm, they simply do not have the time to carefully inspect it to determine its authenticity.  In many cases, out of concern for their own lives or out of concern for the lives of others, police have been forced to shoot and even kill individuals who were brandishing airsoft guns because they were not able to distinguish it from a real weapon.  Often the police have to make split-second decisions in these sorts of things, so it is important that you leave your orange tip on your airsoft gun at all times, even if it will make you a little more visible during an airsoft match.  After all, most of us would rather be seen and shot by an airsoft BB than by a real bullet.

There are also various state laws worth researching if you plan on “airsofting” locally.  Though you hopefully won’t have to deal with the implications of these laws specifically, ehow.com also references a few interesting local laws on the subject.

Virginia does not require a permit to buy or carry airsoft guns either.  If they are misused, however, state law considers airsoft guns the same as firearms.  Using an airsoft gun in a robbery or other crime is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by a year in jail and a $2,500 fine — the same as with a real gun.  Criminal use of a gun, including airsoft, on or within 1,000 feet of a school is a Class 6 felony; the penalty may range from one to five years in prison.  State law also specifically absolves police officers of civil liability if they shoot in defense of self or others — even if the suspect’s gun is airsoft.

Though I am not sure if this is federal, state, or local law, it is also illegal to brandish or use your airsoft gun in any public place.  No matter where you play, however, always ensure that you know the laws beforehand.

Before concluding I believe that it would be appropriate to tell a short story about a personal experience of mine concerning wise airsoft gun usage.  Just a short time ago, I felt like performing a few minor adjustments on my very own airsoft gun.  It being a nice day outside, I, like many times before, decided to do a little target practice next to the woods adjacent to my church.  After receiving permission from my pastor and his wife, who were actually at the church at the time, I proceeded to begin the process of adjusting my scope.  To my great satisfaction, I was able to successfully place the cross-hairs almost precisely where the BBs were going.  Thinking it wise to test my gun out at a longer range, I began to slowly position myself farther and farther back from the woods, which I was shooting into, and closer and closer toward victory Boulevard (from which my church is only about 75 yards).  About thirty minutes later I was in the process of taking off my scope, when lo and behold — [Wheeeeeeeeeee-Whoooooooooo] — along comes not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR police cars!  As I slowly turned around, my heart sinking, it began to dawn on me that, yes, they were indeed coming for me.

As the police stepped out of their vehicles and fanned out toward me, I began thinking about what they might say.  After all, I wasn’t breaking any laws, was I?  No, I don’t believe I was breaking any laws, but, as it turns out, a woman driving by on Victory Boulevard had called in some Hooligan with a gun about to shoot up a local church.  What a thought; and yet, she didn’t know any better than to think I was holding a real fully automatic assault rifle.  I did have the orange tip on my gun, but the woman driving by was likely not able to see it easily from the distance and the speed at which she was driving by; though even if she had seen the orange tip, she might not have recognized that it indicated that my gun was not a real firearm.  This just goes to show that you have to be extremely careful where and how you use your airsoft gun.  Many people do not realize the difference between a real gun and an airsoft gun, especially if there is not an orange tip attached.  I count myself very blessed, however, first, because I was not actually holding the gun when the police showed up (since that would have increased their need for caution and potentially escalated the tension and possibility of me being shot), and second, because I had my orange tip firmly attached to the end of my barrel.  For, what do you know, one of the officers informed me that the reason he was able to identify it as an airsoft gun was by the orange tip.  For all I know that little piece of brightly colored plastic could have saved my life.

Needless to say, everything turned out all right.  I wasn’t arrested, though the police did write down some of my information; I apologized to the police and to the woman who called me in for my lack of wisdom and for causing all that trouble, and my pastor and his wife decided to allow me to continue to reside in their house.  I will say, however, that I plan on being much more careful where I decide to shoot my airsoft gun from now on.  I hadn’t technically done anything illegal, but deciding to use my gun so close to a heavily traveled roadway definitely was not a very wise decision.  I also felt really awful for causing so much trouble for the police department that had to dispatch officers to what, as they may have thought, could have been a serious firefight.  Also, as one of the officers told me, if they had got into an accident responding to the call, things could have gotten much more serious.

So what you can you learn from all of this?  First of all, always be mindful of the physical safety of those you play airsoft with as well as yourself, by always wearing your eye protection.  Second, be wary of those around you who are not necessarily going to involved in the airsofting, but who could be put in harm’s way, as well as the personal property you could potentially damage and have to pay for.  Third, always be informed of and abide by all federal, state, and local laws concerning airsoft guns.  Finally, don’t just think about what is legal; think about what is wise.