I'm not going to hand any of the above to a youngster without some serious training.

Yes, I'll spend more time with the youngster training them to use a firearm as opposed to an air gun, but they need to respect the air gun as well.

Many parents I have talked to see the Airsoft guns as toys.

They are not toys! They are weapons and must be treated as such.

An Airsoft gun is ballistically equivalent to a typical BB gun. They are capable of killing small animals just as easily as the BB gun is. They are also capable of inflicting injuries on larger targets such as other kids.

Anyone who has an Airsoft must follow the same firearm safety rules that are used for BB guns, pellet guns and 22 or larger firearms.

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
   (never point the gun at another person)
2. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
   (that means until your sights are on target)
3. Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

These rules are common sense but need to become deeply ingrained so that it would be unthinkable to break any one of them.

Oh, one more, always wear eye protection!

There is another aspect that becomes truly disturbing when the Airsoft gun is treated as a toy. These weapons are exact replicas of popular firearms. A law enforcement officer, or anyone familiar with guns, will identify the make and model of the gun instantly. And they won't be able to tell that they are not the real gun without actually picking it up. Closely examining the muzzle would also identify them as other than a firearm. But when I see someone holding a Beretta 92 I'm not going to put my face in front of the muzzle to see if it's really a 9mm. Maybe that's just me, but I doubt it.

The potential for a serious tragedy is very real. A kid running around in public waving an Airsoft replica is essentially inviting someone to use force to disarm them!

So we need to add some more rules for these weapons to be safe for the user.

1. Never carry the gun openly in public.
2. Always transport the gun in a case.
3. Only use the gun in a private area setup for target shooting with an appropriate pellet trap.
4. Never treat an Airsoft gun as a toy.

Personally I would rather give a kid a compressed air pellet gun or a 22 rifle than an Airsoft because I think they are more likely to treat those weapons with the respect required.