Airsoft guns, toy or weapon?

I'm an active, no correct that. I'm and obsessed airsoft player. I play every weekend with other airsofters that range from ex military to businessmen to college students. We all respect our weapons and treat them as if they where the real thing.

My city and county just passed a law banning the sale of any toy gun that resembles a real gun in any way. Thankfully that law also says that airsoft guns are exempt from this ban. However many cities in America are making it illegal to even to own one even if your an adult.

The main reason is that parents are not aware that these are only supposed to be purchased and owned by 18 and older adults. They don't read the package and thus buy it for little Tommy 10 year old to play with. Theres also the dumb store clerks that sale it as well to minors. Well little Tommy goes running up down the street waving this gun in the air and Mrs. Concerned neighbor calls the police because she sees a child running around with what she thinks is a real gun. The police show up and ask little Tommy to put the gun down and to turn around.

Well little Tommy who has seen too many movies turns and points the gun at the police. Well the police obviously at this point have no time to decide if it is real or fake and they respond like they should by shooting. So little Tommy ends up dead because his parents allowed him to play with a gun that he wasn't even supposed to have and the parents blame the gun instead of accepting them blame themselves. This same scene has gone on in several other cities as well. The blame is always the same. No one seems to notice the warning on the package.

They think because it fires plastic pellets that it is a toy. Well some of these guns fire over 500 FPS which is faster then some BB guns. So I would'nt exactly say that is a toy. These guns should fall under the same regulations as BB guns. Unfortunatly by some miswording in the laws they fall under the definition of toy gun as well.

So are there any other airsofters out there that feel we are getting the dirt deal on this because of stupid parents and stupid kids? Also do you consider airsoft guns a toy or a weapon.


P.S. I would prefer that you do not vote if your not going to supply your reason to validate your vote. More then if you think its a toy or not I want to know the reasoning behind your thought. I'm trying to get at the logic and confusion of why some think these are toys and the law and most players of the sport think they are weapons.

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