USA and Airguns

[Clifftop]

Can anyone tell me if airguns are popular in the States?

I appreciate there are some (? how many) states that do not allow guns (is this just handguns or does it include rifles ahd shotties?), but how popular are airguns??

Are they a child thing?
Are airguns banned in the states where "firearms" are banned???
Some parts of America seem to encourage the use of guns by kids and introduce them in a safe and sensible way.

Are the air rifles limited to a ft.lb limit like ours are?

questions, questions, questions... I know
But I just think they have a good deal compared to us (obviously )

Cheers me dears.
Cliff.

[Willyleigh]

I think air guns are very popular, more so than here as there are fewer restrictions and you can buy them in the supermarket, if you find any american forums you will see that, like here most of them are adults.

also they have no restrictions on power in most states with some big bore air rifles reaching 600ft/lb

[Gary C]

Hi Cliff

Airguns are not popular, compared to here. If you look at the number of shooters / sales compared to polulation they are a childs toy. There is no limit to power. The relative unpopularity is obviously a result of ease of obtaining a firearm

However, due to increasing gun control in city limits the airgun is seeing a surge in popularity. There is potentially a huge market over there.

[SNAKEBITE]

I wonder if they will impose a power limit within the city limits?
It would tie in with the U.S.'s gun control bandwagon. (If you get what I mean)

[Chris St. MH]

I wonder if they will impose a power limit within the city limits?
It would tie in with the U.S.'s gun control bandwagon. (If you get what I mean)

It tends to be that each municipality makes its own rules - some of them pretty daft. You could live in a US city and not be allowed to use any airgun, anywhere within city limits (even in an underground tunnel). Alternatively you could find one that had no restrictions at all (but I doubt it).

This is an interesting site that, although about carrying handguns, often gives info on local airgun restrictions at state/county/municipality level:

http://www.packing.org/

[cnorris517]

I think air guns are very popular, more so than here as there are fewer restrictions and you can buy them in the supermarket, if you find any american forums you will see that, like here most of them are adults.

also they have no restrictions on power in most states with some big bore air rifles reaching 600ft/lb

I read an article a while back about a muzzle loading custom made airgun that could reach over 1000ftlb using .68" lead balls at 230ish grains a piece went supersonic The owner used it to hunt deer at 100yds and had it made as a muzzle loader to circumvent the local laws on deer hunting.

[El Tel]

Air rifles in the States and clubs are few and far between, I was lucky when I went over to go to a club at a place called Covington, just outside Atlanta.
And talking to shop assistance in Outdoor world ( Bass Pro ) there is not a big demand for Air Rifles and most of the equipment is bought over the internet including 30mm scope mounts as these were not on the shelf as a standard mount.

[HW97 dude]

Hi,

Airguns are popular in the US.

They arent a child thing.Daysies are considered child guns but not adult airguns.It is illegal for a minor to use the airgun without adult supervision.But there is no power restriction.The only law that I can remember of is the silencer law as they classified the silencer the same as a machine gun.And who ever get cought with one will face oiver 10 years in jail .But I live in Puerto Rico(US) and I prefer that we have the no power limit and not the 12fpe(no offence) over the silencer law that you guys dont have.I bet some of you woul like the full power over the silencers eh

Hernan

[some bloke]

Hi,

...I bet some of you woul like the full power over the silencers eh ...

Hernan

I value the silencer much more than the power, it allows a closer shot and additional chances of near-by quarry, + those of use who are blessed with permission to shoot somewhere can mostly get an FAC.

It's a little considered fact that most people who have been granted permission to hunt on someones land at least APPEAR to be decent types. That doesn't imply that those without permission are not though. They may just not have bothered so much - or have looked in the wrong places.

[Airgun Art]

Hello, from the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas.

I just wanted to chime in for the first time, and give my two cents.

First: I miss living in England, and I though your lads did a great job in the world cup. I think "Rooney" got a bad call and I think he just misstepped.
I miss "REAL FISH N CHIPS". I miss cricket, futbol, ruggby, and a good game of "BOOTS"

In my state there are no regulation governing the velocity or Ft/lbs an air rifle may produce. I think that may be pretty much universal in America. A lot of municipalities do have city ordnances (sp?) against shooting pellet/bbguns on public and even private lands, most cities with high crime rates with firearms. Though alot of state and cities are very liberal with regulation, more twards the southern states. As for precision airgunning, it has grown very rappidly here. Here the laws about silencers are purpously ambiguios (sp?). This way they can really hammer you if its a hot political advantage or just leave you alone. I hunt dove, rabbits, squirrels, rats, pidgeons, and little green army men with a retired FBI administrator and he's told men that it's only pressed by ambitious promotion minded people. He says that he had more "Scary" people to worry about then some local farmer wanting to clean out a "Barn". I run a rimfire and airgun silhouette match at my club and have many law enforcement officers who know the law and are perfectly "Fine" with me having a mod on my Falcon. It just boils down to, here any ways, to how you conduct yourself. HFT/FT compititions are growing fast. I just want to say too, that believe it or not alot of American airgunners belive like you that you should not shoot if you can't make a quick, clean, humane kill. I have never met a "Long range airgunner". They all really just seem just and prudent to me. I know of custom air gun makers that make rifles in any caliber you want. I've shot a 9mm, 44, 45, 50 and one big wopper 75 caliber rifle.

Well it's very late for me, I need to go to bed.

Hoping to someday make it back and shoot some compititions with you all.

Good Night, Art

[engin]

Chap who works for the same company as me but in the USA sent me a mail by mistake, and so we got chatting yesterday. Seems he has seventy acres of "garden" and has taken up archery to control someting called a groundhog.

I suggested that he may want to think about about an air rifle but "The BB gun works great on birds and squirrels (and the chipmunks that kept digging up my chestnut trees), but groundhogs are just too large and too tough."

Firing little round balls may just bounce off the beast at 760fps from 10 feet away (his words), but a proper pellet would do some damage...... Wouldn't it?

[Tinshooter]

Airguns must have a market demand in the US because 'Beeman' are made by WEIHRAUCH

Anybody on here know why the name change? Pheraps it sounds 'American'

[Peter Dunkley]

Don't know about the States but in New Brunswick in Canada everything over 6ftlb is a firearm and a firearm licence is a formality. So the few airguns on sale there are low powered back garden plinkers and no choice of pellets. strange thing I learned too is that the common and mostly shot vermin are Cormarants (spelling) I think they are protected here are they not!

[u.k.neil]

You might find thid one interesting Guys:-

American Air Gun Forum

Neil

[Aimsport]

Can anyone tell me if airguns are popular in the States?

Nowhere near as popular as in the U.K.

Air rifle gun shops who REALLY know their stuff are few and far between. I give a guy in Media, PA, USA (John Tripier, Auto Electric & Parts) as much of my business as I can because his is in an elite minority. The boys at StraightShooters.com know their stuff, too.

In the US even getting a proper tin of pellets can be an ordeal for most.

And the worst part is it's hard to find people curious about whether a Beluga whale can hear a pellet fly by... over here. ;-)

I still can't find a USA distributor for the AccurA 0.001g 10g... so had to buy it from the U.K.

It's hard to buy books on air rifles in the States, even Amazon doesn't stock the same air rifle books as Amazon in the U.K.

Where I live I can go into a local store and by a .45 cal pistol or high power rifle with just a show of my driver's license, but can't buy a pellet gun. ...go figure.

I saw a poster once that said (paraphrasing) "I am an Int'l medal winning Olympic athlete but can't talk about my sport in school."... which shows you what the political climate is about the shooting sports.

Separated by a common language,
-Aimsport