Air Gun Home :: View topic

redroush00 · Member

I have no restriction in the suburb I live in. Some around me do. How do these laws pass to effect an air gun? Seems rediculous. How do we change them? Im willing to bet at least 25% of pellet gun owners shott in areas where they are not allowed.

donec · Senior Member

When I went through the minutes of the city counsel meeting and did a search for airguns I found where they discussed the wording of fire arms and added wording that made a co2 or airgun to be a firearm and as such they now fall under the same laws as a gunpowder firearm and thus they are illegal to fire in the township.

SteveM · Member

I live in a developed neighborhood in Central Florida. Unfortunately, most counties in Florida consider any airgun to be a firearm. Therefore, discharging an airgun is illegal within the city limits.

Twenty five years or so ago I was shooting an airgun along some railroad tracks near Pensacola Florida. I was about five miles from the city border. Before long a police officer showed up and told me that he could take me to jail and confiscate my rifle for discharging a firearm within the city limits, but he let me go with a warning. He made it clear that the law did not differentiate between an airgun and any other firearm.

For all practical purposes, there's no difference between an airgun and a .308 Winchester deer rifle in Florida.

Slavia · Moderator

We had similar restrictions in Waseca. A few years ago I wanted to use the 4H building at the fairgrounds for shooting with the 4H kids, but it was within the city limits and outside the law. I simply went to the city council and asked them to change the law. They voted (on the spot) to allow airgun shooting with organized groups for educational/training purposes, with council permission. And they granted that permission on the spot, too.

Sometimes things work out good.

SteveM · Member

donwalk · Veteran Member

it still comes down to the fact we let legislators get away with passing such restrictive laws...

work to get rid of such legislators and have their laws rescinded or changed.

Lipoly · Veteran Member

It seems that instead of thinking about powerplant, a better approach for regulation would be to regulate FPE. I don't think someone should should a .50 cal Dragon Slayer in city limits unless they're inside a purpose built shooting range. However, someone responsibly target shooting with a 20fpe pellet gun should be allowed to. After all...how many fpe am I driving down the road 100mi a day round trip.

BBgunNoob · Veteran Member

361,136.95 FPE is your driving a 3000lb car 60 mph 60 mph = 88 fps n 3000lbs = 20996681.1 grains and they think guns are dangerous

Slavia · Moderator

donwalk · Veteran Member

remember...legislators will always attack the easiest targets...the one they think will offer less Resistance...how many people own and operate airguns/firearms/crossbows/archery bows as compared to automobiles and cellfones?

they'll meet more resistance from cellfone owners I'd say simply due to numbers.

Slavia · Moderator

Numbers and money.

BBgunNoob · Veteran Member

there will prob be alot more airgunners if they raise the price of bullets like putting a tax on each bullet, they better not think of doing that to pellets lol

jlwilliams · Veteran Member

I think a lot of the "airguns are firearms' laws are based on a lack of understanding of airguns, and a desire to 'cover all the bases'. On a local level you may be able to effect change like Slavia did by just asking them to. On a state wide or national level you will have a much harder time.

This is a real problem. I agree that there are likely a good number of people using their airguns in illegal ways, without knowing about the rules they are breaking or intending to do anything wrong. For all of us who are 'in to' airgunning, how many people are out there who just 'have one'? You can get a pellet rifle at a big box store, with no real idea that this thing is head and shoulders more powerful than the pellet gun of your youth. Even if you get a low power gun, you still may be in deep trouble shooting it at home, and Joe Average has no idea about that when he buys the thing. Now, most people who get one to plink soda cans off the porch, or to thin out the squirrels will never know because they just may not be noticed or get caught. That doesn't lessen the problem we are talking about. Someone could get into real trouble. Someone somewhere must have been prosecuted for a "gun crime' over an airgun.

This isn't a problem in my town, but the state (CT) treats them as guns except for allowing them to be sold without FFL. I think things here are OK, but I would fight any further regulation. If you live in a town where you have limitations, I strongly encourage you to go to a town meeting and propose a more accurate ruling on pellet guns. Make it easy for them, offer some facts and maybe offer up guidelines for what should be deemed OK. Who knows, maybe you get a vote and get it done.

donec · Senior Member

The problem with such laws is the only people they effect is the law abiding responsible people. The criminals and those that don't care or refuse to take responsibility for what they do will ignore the law and do as they please. Such laws are very hard to enforce and waste much of the police time.

jlwilliams · Veteran Member

Bingo. That hits it. It's only people like us who even know about air gun laws. If we don't count the types who ignore the laws (no way to really 'regulate' willing law breakers) that leaves the 'innocent mistake'. Folks who will break these obscure laws with no intent to do so. Those are the people who will get the worst of it. They aren't criminals, they just thought they could shoot this thing they bought over the counter at wallyworld. Next thing they know, they have a criminal record for discharging a gun within the city limits. That's the sort of thing that really looks bad and could cause someone to lose employment oportunities, or any of the other problems that are part and parcell to a criminal record.