The sport of Airsoft and Airsoft guns are generally legal in most parts of the world. There are some countries where they are not, as well as some nations that impose strict restrictions. Some of these restrictions include maximum muzzle energy, rules against the use of the trademarks of real firearms, and special requirements regarding the marking of Airsoft guns such as bright orange tips.

In the U.S. and Japan, the restrictions are very light. In Australia, they are actual firearms according to the law and heavily regulated. Canada’s regulation is unique.

Airsoft guns are classified as “Imitation Firearms” until they are upgraded to a specific muzzle velocity of (500 ft/s) and kinetic energy on impact (5.7 joules). They are then classified as an actual firearm under the Criminal Code of Canada. In the United Kingdom, a bill is being proposed which could possibly limit the availability of new guns. This would have a huge effect on the sale and import of Airsoft weapons. This law would limit new players to leasing or borrowing used guns, possibly killing off the sport in that country.

Due to the simple fact that these are replicas of real firearms, there are understandable issues that arise. There have been cases of Airsoft weapons being mistaken for real guns. This is the main reason for the required orange tips in order to distinguish them from their real counterparts. In some of the more extreme cases, actual law enforcement officers have been called to the scene.

Perhaps the most common legal problem in the United States is the possession of the Airsort guns in the schools. Cases where students have been prosecuted have included legal actions from temporary suspension to permanent expulsion. The worst known case involving an Airsoft gun on a school property took place in Longwood, Florida. After a teenage student had apparently painted over the mandated orange tip, a Sheriff deputy shot him to death in January 2006. An Airsoft gun should never be brought out in public, as the user may be fined or arrested.