A lot of people regard air soft guns as a safe way of sport playing and target shooting, and, for the most part, they’re absolutely right. These guns are made with safety and fun in mind, and are proportionally much safer than actual firearms or even pellet and BB guns. On the other hands, they must be handled responsibly. Though it is common to refer to the activities performed with these guns as “play”, they should not be mistaken for toys on the level of cap guns or laser tag. As long as you keep some basic guidelines in mind, however, a lot of fun can be had and no one will get hurt in the process.

First of all, and this should go without saying, but it happens every so often, you should never present a situation where you try to convince someone that your air soft guns are real guns. It wouldn’t be fair to say this is a common occurrence, but it only takes one episode of extremely poor judgement for someone to get seriously hurt or killed. People have natural defense mechanisms and there are too many people out there with real guns to go around trying to play Rambo.

Secondly, never fire one of your air soft guns at another person if you are not actively engaged in airsoft play. This is a much more common occurrence, and it is the kind of horseplay that can lead to injury. Real airsoft play should be done under controlled conditions with everyone aware of what’s happening and wearing whatever protective gear they deem necessary. Wild shooting of unaware individuals is the kind of poor judgment that can lead to someone getting hurt (and the possible loss of a friend). There is plenty of time for that kind of activity when you’re engaged in actual competition.

Finally, remember that most accidents that occur with air soft guns are the result of not wearing a protective face mask. You may not be able to kill someone with a shot from your gun, but you  can certainly blind them. If you’re getting ready to engage in a round of play, make it your responsibility to make sure everyone is wearing the proper eye and face protection. It only takes one incident to ruin the game for everyone and leave one individual with a reminder of his poor decision making skills for the rest of his life.