any special attention to regulations with airguns?

Knottybuoy

Knottybuoy

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Just picked up a CO2 pistol the other day for plinking fun, and also for an aggressive mama raccoon thats being coming by my place for years and getting a little more aggresive/threatening with her babies lately...

I know airguns are largely not firearms under the firearms act, but are there any regulations that I should look into or be aware of?

For example, if I was driving in my car or parked at out at a camping spot, would it be a problem if it were loaded in the car, like it would be if it were one of my real firearms?
 
Not advisable to use that CO2 pistol on a raccoon - chances are, all you'll do is piss it off. They are tough critters.

While not classed as firearms under the FA, there are circumstances where they can be classed as firearms under the criminal code.
Common sense, and discretion are best observed, just as with any gun - pellet or otherwise.
 
If your pistol shoots above a certain fps rating and has energy above a certain number its classified as a restricted firearm and you will need to posses an real to own it and transport it etc. a real pita. If its a low velocity pistol then is just an airgun
 
My buddy in lynn valley has a visit from the rcmp after an evening of shooting his pellet gun - air soft and paint ball guns in his back yard. A neighbour didnt like the constant shooting so the call in a complaint. The rcmp were nice about it but did say it is against the law to fire air or spring loaded guns in a residential area. My buddy said no problem but did ask if there was a designated area were his child could fire his spring loaded nerf gun. Cop kinda laughed and said he was just there to give a warning.
 
Griffin6869 said:
My buddy in lynn valley has a visit from the rcmp after an evening of shooting his pellet gun - air soft and paint ball guns in his back yard. A neighbour didnt like the constant shooting so the call in a complaint. The rcmp were nice about it but did say it is against the law to fire air or spring loaded guns in a residential area. My buddy said no problem but did ask if there was a designated area were his child could fire his spring loaded nerf gun. Cop kinda laughed and said he was just there to give a warning.
Click to expand...

A more appropriate question might have been where that specific regulation is located saying you can't fire an airsoft or pellet gun in a residential area. If its a local bylaw, then perhaps, but there is no section of the criminal code that I'm aware of that prohibits it.

Common sense rules though, if you have something that is shaped like a gun, then the criminal code will consider it a weapon if it is brandished, pointed or shot in the general direction of a person, even if that person is inside a vehicle or house.

If your back yard backs onto woods, then set up targets safely pointing into the woods where no one is, not in the general direction of the neighbours house or the road.

I concur on using an airsoft gun against a racoon, likely ineffective, and possibly illegal under your provincial wildlife act as most areas have laws against "harrassing wildlife."

It might also be a good idea to talk to all the neighbours before you use it, so they are fully aware that it is an airsoft gun, not a real one. You don't want a panicked call made to police when the neighbours see you outside doing target practice.
 
To address the original question: "any special attention to regulation with airguns?" for someone in Vancouver. Many of the municipalities (not all) in the GVRD have by-laws that prohibit using any "airgun" including pellet, bb, airsoft, and paintball.
General rule of thumb: airguns (pistol or long) that fire over 500 feet-per-second (pellet or bb) = firearm, thus ALL the firearms regulations apply. I will avoid the incomprehensible energy rules as they apply to pellet vs. bb. vs. airsoft. vs. paintball vs. Nerf vs. watergun.
Real world: if a neighbour objects to you shooting something that looks 'gun-like' expect a visit from your local members (no choice). Maybe invite them over for some fun?
For the racoons and skunks, I was reduced to using a motion activated sprayer ('Deer-Scare'), which as far as I can tell, is still legal on the North Shore. Not nearly as much fun.
 
The are quite a few sellers of the shrouded barrels at the moment. Been looking for a new gun, and I came across them all over the place.
 
i have a crossman 2240 added a 18 inch barrel which brings it real close to 500Fps i know all the stuff about muzzle energy and all but if you can get a headshot on that racoon within 10 yards i know for a fact that it'll go down. This is a crossman premium hollow point 22 cal pellet that hit a steel plate at 35 feet i doubt that mama racoon will only be pissed lol

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I will only say that unless you nail the coon in the eye, the pellet will just bounce off. There is a good chance that the coon will go after you if he feels threatened. A pellet gun can kill a coon but it can also kill a human. The chances are slim but not impossible. I use a crossbow for pests.
 
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