Advice zone
Air weapons
The dangers
Air weapons and ball bearing (BB) guns are dangerous and can cause serious injury. In 2007, a 12-year-old Stoke-on-Trent boy died following an incident involving an air weapon. This summer there was a similar - but fortunately not fatal - incident involving a three-year-old girl in the city.
Early in 2008, children in a Rugeley primary school playground suffered minor injuries during an incident involving BB guns.
In October 2007, new laws governing the sale and use of air weapons and imitation firearms were introduced.
Here’s a quick summary to help you:
Air weapons: the law
Basically, it’s an offence for someone under 18 to possess, buy, sell or receive an air weapon as a gift. They can only be used legally by youngsters as a member of a shooting club, in a shooting gallery where weapons not exceeding .23 calibre are being used or on private property with the owner’s permission.
Please remember that if you’re shooting on private land, such as your back garden, it’s an offence for a pellet to leave the boundary of the property. If you’re under 18 and caught with an air weapon in public you could face a £1,000 fine.
Imitation firearms including BB guns: the law
It’s also an offence for a person under the age of 18 to purchase an imitation firearm, and to sell an imitation firearm to a person under the age of 18.
If you own a realistic imitation firearm and you’re thinking of selling it on – think again. It’s illegal. If you want to dispose of it you could contact Staffordshire Police on 101 for advice.