In case that you want to play airsoft in Colorado you should be informed about the law. The law always varies from state to state and it is important to check whether there is something illegal or you can freely enjoy your next airsoft game. The law may sometimes be written in such a way that it is difficult to understand it, but in case with Colorado it is fortunately, quite simple.
I have made a research through the law in order to find the important law and policy that you are recommended to follow.
I am not a lawyer, nor do I write the laws and although this is not an official legal advice I still believe it will help you. You can find more about the Colorado Law on the official website pages such as on this one here.
If you wonder whether you can use airsoft guns in the backyard or not, check it out once you have understood the Colorado state law.
Are airsoft guns legal in Colorado?
Airsoft gun is not considered as „firearm“ and therefore are perfectly legal to own without a gun license in Colorado, but Boulder county forbids them. However, there is related law that must be obeyed in order to stay out of trouble and you must be 18 year old to purchase a gun in a store.
Only the guns which are designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of explosive can be categorized as firearms.
Airsoft guns just like air guns and other toy guns are not considered as firearms because they are not powered by the action of explosive.
If you are not yet 18 year old you should ask for the supervision of those who are, especially when purchasing a gun.
What are the important laws that one must know when using an airsoft replica in Colorado?
There is also a policy and a guide worth following in order to stay out of troubles and to not breach any similar law regarding airsoft guns. Therefore beside simply answering whether the airsoft guns are legal or not, it is even more important to mention the following laws and how not to breach them.
- It is considered as a disorderly conduct if a person intentionally and knowingly displays the airsoft replica gun anywhere in a public area and therefore let the other person to reasonably believe that it may do them harm. This can also mean any verbal representation that could lead to the others feeling threatened by the deadly force. (In order to deal with this simply do not brag about that you have any gun on yourself even if it is not visible. In case that it is visible you must fit it into a holster, bag or case.)
- If a person points an airsoft replica gun at someone, they commit the crime of menacing. This means that whether it is a physical threat or a verbal one, any person in any public or private area must not feel threatened by your replica. ( It is quite logical that you should not point it at anyone anyways, unless you are playing in a field.) This is a class 5 felony if committed, so take it seriously.
- It is considered unlawful to discharge an airsoft replica anywhere on a public property. ( Just wait till you get to that field, can’t you?)
- Do not bring any airsoft gun nearby school premises or to larger group meetings ( These places are highly sensitive and you do not want to break any law such as breach of the peace or misconduct and be charged for something more serious.)
Boulder County Law exceptions
The boulder county has a different law regarding airsoft guns and considers them as forbidden on any public open space property. This means that you are not allowed to carry them nor discharge them.
There fall all other stuff like paintball guns, air and pellets guns, crossbows, longbows, slingshots and so on.
There is a $300 fine for anyone who breaches this law.
Therefore, if you planned to play in Boulder County you will have serious difficulties if they spot you.
How to safely transport your airsoft gun?
As it is mentioned, it is not smart to brandish an airsoft gun just like any other gun in public. People are sensitive and easily frightened with a cause.
We might discuss why is it so, but the fact is that no one likes to see a gun nearby and it is almost impossible to tell the airsoft replica gun apart from real guns.
If you plan to travel with your airsoft guns check my detailed post on it.
Even with proper orange markings as it is established by the federal law, to a mere eye of a random person, a gun is simply a gun.
It is not a surprise that police officers often bump into uncomfortable situations when a person brandish a toy gun that resembles the real one, especially from afar.
In order to stay safe you can use holsters, bags and cases. I have written a short guide on how to choose a perfect bag and a case for airsoft guns and you can find it here.
The law and the culture varies from state to state and California is one of the states where it is not uncommon to see someone wearing a gun in a holster, therefore if everything else is legal there are no issues.
Believe it or not, this is not always a case and in some states you would fall in trouble by having a replica gun in a holster.
Bear in mind not to have a replica near reach when driving a car, this may not be a serious issue every time, but if you get pulled over it is smarter not to give the officers any concern.
Is it illegal to remove the orange tip in Colorado?
There is no specific Colorado law that indicates that you must have the orange tip installed on the airsoft replica gun, however the federal law clearly states that all airsoft replicas must have proper orange markings installed at the moment when they are being sold or traded by merchants.
This is quite interesting law and we can interpret it that only the merchants and stores must have the orange tips on the airsoft replicas because the law does not strictly say that a one must keep it on a gun at all the costs once they leave the store.
This federal law has the purpose of making it easier to distinguish real guns from toys, but most players remove the orange markings once they get home.
I personally will not advice you to remove it because it is safer if you do not, but we all understand that orange markings break the immersion and you will rarely see a marked gun in a field.
The logic behind orange markings is to make it clearly visible as a toy in public, however as I have already mentioned above, it does not help much because people get frightened anyways and police officers will take the precaution measures anyways as well.