Are airsoft guns replica guns?

B

Bagels

Regular
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Toronto
Im not into the airsoft gun environment at all but i saw a few of them and would like to buy some. They look identical to firearms and seem like alot of fun to shoot. However, how do i know which are legal or which are replica? i mean they all look realistic and are replicas. Is there a list? Or if they were prohibited how are stores still selling them online in canada?
 
Hi there
Most stores are well aware of what they are allowed to sell and what is deemed evil since the ironfisted have brought the hammer down, i would say if its available in stores it is not on any list.. buy, enjoy

Cheers
 
Bagels said:
Im not into the airsoft gun environment at all but i saw a few of them and would like to buy some. They look identical to firearms and seem like alot of fun to shoot. However, how do i know which are legal or which are replica? i mean they all look realistic and are replicas. Is there a list? Or if they were prohibited how are stores still selling them online in canada?
Click to expand...

Replicas are non-firing lookalikes and are prohibited (not to own if you had them when they were banned) and illegal to buy and sell. Incidentally, this is another example where the government expropriated the value of something you own without compensation. Sure, you can own it, but it has no value because you can't legally sell it and it dies with you.

Airsoft are not replicas, they are firearms because they 'shoot' something, but that something has not enough velocity to make the airsoft a firearm for the purposes of being subject to firearms laws. So completely legal...

...but...airsoft that look like firearms are on the Liberal to be banned list if C-21 gets passed.


Read all about it here:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/airsoft-gun-paintball-blackblitz-airsoft-1.5933339
 
I recently purchased a Umarex M3 grease gun (.177 CO2 <450 FPS) and it looks exactly like a M3A1 sub machine gun and it’s perfectly legal. The fact that I can’t own a replica which can’t shoot a projectile, but can own a version that looks exactly like the real thing, that can shoot a projectile although small and low velocity but full auto, just goes to show how insane our laws are. And if it was a real M3A1 but a dewat, that is legal to own as well.:bangHead::bangHead:
 
So this is second hand, but talking to a neighbour who is on a guns and gang unit the whole airsoft idea comes from a failing of the RCMP. Apparently the RCMP tactical group competes internationally for some peer recognized prowess. As a community building exercise they took on a Canadian Airsoft club to show their stuff. And .... they got their asses kicked - repeatedly. From that, it wasn't the hardware that was a "threat to public safety" but the fact that a bunch of (presumably) young, untrained, airsofters could take down Canada's elite SWAT team that scared their undies brown. So... Turdy comes knocking looking for anything that can shut down firearms interest in Canada and they added airsoft. Nothing to do with what the hardware looks like .. you could have light sabres that make horsemonkey's look foolish and they'd be banned. Again, just what I heard but this guy has had ghost guns pointed at him.
 
bogozzo said:
So this is second hand, but talking to a neighbour who is on a guns and gang unit the whole airsoft idea comes from a failing of the RCMP. Apparently the RCMP tactical group competes internationally for some peer recognized prowess. As a community building exercise they took on a Canadian Airsoft club to show their stuff. And .... they got their asses kicked - repeatedly. From that, it wasn't the hardware that was a "threat to public safety" but the fact that a bunch of (presumably) young, untrained, airsofters could take down Canada's elite SWAT team that scared their undies brown. So... Turdy comes knocking looking for anything that can shut down firearms interest in Canada and they added airsoft. Nothing to do with what the hardware looks like .. you could have light sabres that make horsemonkey's look foolish and they'd be banned. Again, just what I heard but this guy has had ghost guns pointed at him.
Click to expand...

....airsoft...the 'gateway drug' to firearms ownership (or so say the Liberals) hence ban them and you ban the feeder pool of PAL holders, right? Oh heck, just cancel guns by banning them and every reference to them or image of them.
 
Supposedly <300(?) fps is considered to be a "replica" and is banned and >500 fps is considered to be a "firearm" and is banned. Leaving the stuff in the middle a Grey Area.
 
jody_v said:
I recently purchased a Umarex M3 grease gun (.177 CO2 <450 FPS) and it looks exactly like a M3A1 sub machine gun and it’s perfectly legal. The fact that I can’t own a replica which can’t shoot a projectile, but can own a version that looks exactly like the real thing, that can shoot a projectile although small and low velocity but full auto, just goes to show how insane our laws are. And if it was a real M3A1 but a dewat, that is legal to own as well.:bangHead::bangHead:
Click to expand...

Yes, anyone with a brain can look at CDN gun laws and quickly understand just how dumb they are. LOADS of inconsistencies.

FWIW I have a real 12-3 M3 Grease Gun. :)

It would be worth 4x what I paid for it, if it were a dewat. :(
 
bogozzo said:
So this is second hand, but talking to a neighbour who is on a guns and gang unit the whole airsoft idea comes from a failing of the RCMP. Apparently the RCMP tactical group competes internationally for some peer recognized prowess. As a community building exercise they took on a Canadian Airsoft club to show their stuff. And .... they got their asses kicked - repeatedly. From that, it wasn't the hardware that was a "threat to public safety" but the fact that a bunch of (presumably) young, untrained, airsofters could take down Canada's elite SWAT team that scared their undies brown. So... Turdy comes knocking looking for anything that can shut down firearms interest in Canada and they added airsoft. Nothing to do with what the hardware looks like .. you could have light sabres that make horsemonkey's look foolish and they'd be banned. Again, just what I heard but this guy has had ghost guns pointed at him.
Click to expand...

bogo, this rings true. I kind of thought that one of the possible reasons they went after airsoft was that it is one way to learn to fire and maneuver against an opposing force. As sad and pathetic as this story makes our proud federal force look, it is REALLY easy to believe! A small part of me doesn't want to believe it....but it's a VERY small part!
 
It is my understanding that airsofts are not replicas and therefore still legal. However the liberal government considers this to be a loophole that they are trying to close.

- They tried to prohibit airsoft and paintball in the last version of C21 Does anyone know if it is in the current version going through the senate right now?
- If airsoft etc become illegal what will happen to legally deactivated firearms?
- Is it possible to deactivate an airsoft?
- We had a RCMP firearms officer visit the DND based military museum that I volunteer at. He was very firm to distinguish between a replica (which they are concerned could be converted to fire real bullets) and a model which cannot (the museum bought a 3d printed plastic Lewis for display)
- It of course makes no sense to make non lethal "firearms" illegal which in theory would drive criminals more to use real firearms...go figure...
 
MiG25 said:
Supposedly <300(?) fps is considered to be a "replica" and is banned and >500 fps is considered to be a "firearm" and is banned. Leaving the stuff in the middle a Grey Area.
Click to expand...

I saw that posted by a member "Firearm code" also.
Paintball guns are set to shoot ~240-300 fps, many of the mil-sim guns look like the real thing but somehow are ok?!?
 
It's not an FPS reading per say, the dividing line is "can it cause serious bodily injury or death". I can't remember if it was CBSA or RCMP testing but at 366 FPS with a .2g bb an airsoft gun can pierce a pigs eye making it capable of "cause serious bodily injury or death" and thus a firearm.

Paintball guns firing at 240-300 FPS shoot a .68 caliber paintball weighing in at 3g, which is a lot more energy and easily capable of piercing/losing an eye and thus a firearm.

Basically to be a replica firearm, it can't be a firearm. If airsoft guns and paintball guns can "cause serious bodily injury or death" they are firearms therefore not replica firearms, but they also shoot slower than 500 fps/5.7J so they are also not regulated firearms.

EDIT: To answer 55recce's question, in the current version of C-21 there has been no changes to the airsoft law. The clause that banned airsoft was completely removed, the only update was defining replica firearm has to resemble a firearm that fires more than 500 FPS/5.7J.

Runkle of the Bailey mentioned it as a needed update because of the edge case that a fake dog ball launcher would be a replica firearm under the current wording, and more illegal than a dog ball launcher.

https://youtu.be/6gPv0IvwY_M?t=560
 
Last edited:
chillyrabbit said:
It's not an FPS reading per say, the dividing line is "can it cause serious bodily injury or death". I can't remember if it was CBSA or RCMP testing but at 366 FPS with a .2g bb an airsoft gun can pierce a pigs eye making it capable of "cause serious bodily injury or death" and thus a firearm.

Paintball guns firing at 240-300 FPS shoot a .68 caliber paintball weighing in at 3g, which is a lot more energy and easily capable of piercing/losing an eye and thus a firearm.

Basically to be a replica firearm, it can't be a firearm. If airsoft guns and paintball guns can "cause serious bodily injury or death" they are firearms therefore not replica firearms, but they also shoot slower than 500 fps/5.7J so they are also not regulated firearms.
Click to expand...

This is correct. Anyone who thinks an airsoft is not capable of serious injury should shoot one into their eye from close range and report back as to the results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom