The law in the state of Washington seems to be quite simple for airsoft players, it openly says what you are expected to respect and how you may break the law. From the position of a player you still may bump into some issues, like whether you are allowed to play an airsoft match with your friends somewhere in the woods or not.
I will simply state what the law defines and after that come up with a conclusion and inform you about the best practices that will keep you safe. I do not support the breach of the law by any meaning and as long as we can make it sure that no one is endangered you are free to have fun for as long as you want. So, what does the Washington state law say about airsoft guns in short?
Airsoft guns are legal in the State of Washington for use on the private and registered places, but are highly forbidden on any public property including school premises, parks, streets or at any public event. You are also expected to be at least 18 before you may purchase any airsoft gun in local stores.
Bear in mind that only following the written law does not mean that you will not breach some other similar and related law that you have not been thinking about in very first place. The only way to stay safe is to understand how to treat airsoft replicas and how to behave. I will be sharing such tips with you soon.
If you plan to use airsoft guns in your backyard, check my short guide on it once you have understood the basics of Washington State laws.
Also I am not a lawyer, so nothing here can be considered a legal advice.
Prohibited acts regarding Airsoft guns in Washington State
You are expected to respect the law and are prohibited from doing the following:
- Purchasing the airsoft replica if you are under 18 in any local store.
- Brandishing it and showing it at any public place
- Discharging it at any public place or school premises is seen as a serious violation
- Hurting anyone with the airsoft replica no matters the place where the incident has taken the act at. This can break the other laws that are not mentioned here but are very serious.
- You can only play it in designated areas meaning that even the nearby forest is not considered a safe place for playing airsoft if the forest is not considered as a designated area.
- You are expected to keep the orange markings on the replica.
If you are under the age of 18, simply have someone who is 21+ to supervise you, this will also be the case on the fields.
The definition of the Washington airsoft law and understanding it
It is clearly stated that the state of Washington prohibits any person from carrying or possessing any air type gun and from willfully discharging it near any person that may be endangered.
Under this fall all air pistols and air rifles that are designed to propel a BB, pellet or other projectile by the discharge of gas or compressed air on any public or private elementary and secondary school premises including any school-provided transportation, or on any area of facilities that are being used by public or private schools.
All public places are included but also any place where any person might be endangered.
If you plan to move outside of your region or state with airsoft gun, check my post on how to travel safely.
What can be concluded from this is the following:
Airsoft guns differ from air guns, however in the eyes of the law, airsoft guns do propel a BB and do discharge them by compressed air or gas. No matters how low the FPS may be, legally observed they are considered dangerous and in reality the may cause damage to the sensitive body parts like eyes, ears, teeth and so on.
Are you allowed to remove the orange tip in the state of Washington?
The orange tips are a must as defined in the law. However, almost every person removes them once they leave the store. Am I going to tell you that you should do the same?
Well, it would be against the law for sure but the reality is that so many people do it but they also do one mandatory thing and that is to treat it as a real gun and never bring it to the public areas.
That is the reason that they do not get caught, simply no one is going to get in your home and check whether there are orange tips on your replicas but for the precaution there are there.
Orange markings should tell it a part from the real guns but in reality if you ever pull it out in any public place, rarely will anyone consider them just as toys and assume the worse anyways. Stay careful.
Tips for Airsoft gun users to stay safe from breaching the Law
Treat it as a real gun
– By doing this you deeply integrate the appropriate behavior into your subconsciousness and will reduce the odds that anything bad happens, therefore without coming here to read about the law, you will assume what is the best solution by simply relying on common sense.
Do not carry it in public
If you do not bring it out in public, you will not have to worry about breaking any such law. Sounds simple but kids often want to be cool and show their guns to friends. I do not want to bring the negative views here but there are documented cases where kids lost lives due to the misunderstandings regarding airsoft replicas and similar other toys that resemble the real guns.
Do not attempt to use it for self defense
Some people think that this is a good idea, using it for self defense is not going to help you really. The best you may do is to scare someone but the far worse may await you in return. Airsoft guns do not have enough power to stop someone from violating you.