History

• Airsoft products were first developed in Japan in the 1980s, where real guns were considered illegal. Hobbyists then designed and created guns that were very similar in detail to real guns, but fired nonlethal ammunition such as plastic pellets. These realistic-looking fake guns gained popularity in areas where there were strict laws on real firearms, and as the admiration of Airsoft guns spread, so too did the products. Airsoft guns are now sold widely in America as well as many other countries around the world.
  
  

Operation

• Airsoft guns, also known as pellet or BB guns, are operated by inserting pellets or BBs (plastic or metal) into the chamber, barrel or holding container of the gun and firing it. Air is the component that fires the gun, and some require a pump action in order to prime the gun for firing. These Airsoft guns come in many shapes, sizes and styles. They can look like anything from a pistol or handgun, a rifle or shotgun, or even something like a paintball gun.
  
  

Physical Damage

• One physical danger of Airsoft guns is the threat of eye damage. Accidents and careless practices can result in serious eye damage and temporary or permanent blindness. The pellets/BBs used in these guns may seem like nothing, but when shot at your eye with even the small force Airsoft guns carry, it can be a recipe for disaster. In addition to this serious danger, other accidental results include anything from welts on the skin to penetration requiring surgical removal of a pellet from the skin.
  
  

Other Dangers

• Aside from the physical dangers of Airsoft guns and pistols is the potential to cause panic and law enforcement trouble when in public. Because these guns use real (if minor) ammunition, they often are designed and manufactured to look like real guns instead of displaying the orange barrel tip or trigger that is included on toy or fake guns. When carried or played with in public, it can cause a real panic. A real gun shown carelessly and nonchalantly in public could constitute a criminal act.
  
  

Safety

• For the safety of you, your playmates and the public in general, it is important to follow the instructions and safety directions that come with the Airsoft gun. These precautions will include always wear eye protection when operating it, never pointing the Airsoft gun at anyone, even in jest, and never displaying the gun in public where it may cause a panic. The one time you do not wear eye protection could be your first trip to the ER for a serious eye injury.