- Air pistols and air rifles are classified as air guns. Air guns may be exact replicas of real-life pistols, but the main difference between air guns and regular guns is that air pistols fire using compressed air to shoot ammunition, while actual guns use a burned propellant. This makes air guns significantly less dangerous than real pistols because the energy and weight of the ammo must be lower.
- Airsoft guns are actually a smaller classification of air guns, pistols and rifles. The difference between the two is that while air pistols may fire metal ammunition, airsoft guns are air guns which are only used to fire plastic projectiles. The guns originated in Japan because of a ban on real firearms in the country, and have become a popular toy because of their relative safety.
- Regulations on air pistols vary from place to place, although they are not subject to the U.S. Gun Control Act, which regulates regular firearms. Since the ammunition is non-explosive, they cause less damage, but metal projectiles can still be a hazard. Velocity limits are imposed on airsoft guns to keep them safe for use as toys. The velocity for single-shot airsoft guns cannot exceed 500 feet per second.
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