Many people think of air guns as toys rather than weapons, but in fact pistols and rifles which work using a compressed air system have been around for hundreds of years and can be lethal weapons.
The legal definition of what constitutes an air gun as opposed to a “firearm” differs from country to country; in the United Kingdom air pistols generating more than 6 ft·lbf (“foot pound force”) or 8.1 J (joules), or air rifles generating more than 12 ft·lbf or 16.2 J of energy are considered to be firearms and both gun and user must be licensed. Thus most modern air guns are usually low-powered because of safety concerns and legal restrictions, and are used mainly for games such as paint ball marking or target practice. However, there are still high-powered designs available commercially which are used for hunting and by some armed and police forces around the world.
Most low-powered air guns can be safely fired in a back yard or garden, or even inside the house as long as you have a proper space and backstop. Many models of air guns are extremely accurate and are used in shooting events at the Olympics, which sport is governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. There are different categories of air gun according to how they are powered which can be broadly divided into 3 main groups - spring-piston, pneumatic, and carbon dioxide (CO2) – and can be used for both air rifles and air pistols.
The legal definition of what constitutes an air gun as opposed to a “firearm” differs from country to country; in the United Kingdom air pistols generating more than 6 ft·lbf (“foot pound force”) or 8.1 J (joules), or air rifles generating more than 12 ft·lbf or 16.2 J of energy are considered to be firearms and both gun and user must be licensed. Thus most modern air guns are usually low-powered because of safety concerns and legal restrictions, and are used mainly for games such as paint ball marking or target practice. However, there are still high-powered designs available commercially which are used for hunting and by some armed and police forces around the world.
Most low-powered air guns can be safely fired in a back yard or garden, or even inside the house as long as you have a proper space and backstop. Many models of air guns are extremely accurate and are used in shooting events at the Olympics, which sport is governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. There are different categories of air gun according to how they are powered which can be broadly divided into 3 main groups - spring-piston, pneumatic, and carbon dioxide (CO2) – and can be used for both air rifles and air pistols.