When AirSoft guns first started hitting the market, in models that were nearly exact replicas of actual firearms, I was stoked. While the weight and recoil of a 1911 can’t be duplicated with an air gun, I figured it was a great way to practice when I couldn’t make it out to the shooting range, or when the weather was too nasty to spend much time outside.
Fast-forward about 20 years to the present day, and they’re still producing cosmetic replicas of a whole bunch of real guns. The only difference these days is that now, they’re painting the muzzles orange so they can be instantly recognized as air guns.
I guess I should have expected the natural progression, considering they shoot a softer, less dense projectile than an old-fashioned BB, and they shoot at about a quarter the velocity of a BB gun. And further considering when I was a kid, I participated in my fair share of BB gun wars, what my kids do with their AirSoft guns shouldn’t bother me.
Maybe it’s the cosmetic aspect of the AirSoft guns that give me pause, or maybe it’s because it’s my kids who are involved. But I have to admit I’m a little uneasy about them pointing realistic-looking guns at each other, and then intentionally pulling the triggers.
Kids have to be able to be kids, and it’s no use telling kids to not point toy guns at each other. The AirSoft guns look so real, though, and the kids actually shoot each other with them. It’s a little disturbing.
I do make them stick to some rules, though. They have to maintain proper muzzle discipline when they’re not “at war,” and they’re required to unload them before bringing them into the house. You gotta’ start somewhere, right?
