Is an Air Rifle Considered a Firearm ?

[robert sailor]

Some of the new modern air rifles can be used for hunting wild boar and deer so you know it would quite easily kill a human.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Some of the new modern air rifles can be used for hunting wild boar and deer so you know it would quite easily kill a human.

Shoot, there was at least one air rifle that was used by Lewis and Clark, as well as units of the Austrian army, that had a 20 round tube magazine holding balls around .50 caliper. The air bladder could fire 30 rounds before needing to be replaced or refilled.

This was in the late 1700s.

I am just having fun with the word "modern" and the main point is spot on. There are air rifles that are quite powerful and not a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock...

Later,
Dan

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Trim50

I was wondering if an air gun would be considered a fire arm outside of the US?

Because "outside of the US" is covered by one legal system and one set of laws that apply everywhere

That makes answering the question easy: yes.
Even flare guns can be (are where I am).

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Because "outside of the US" is covered by one legal system and one set of laws that apply everywhere

Haven't you figured out that the world is divided into the US and not the US?

[hellosailor]

DIE VAMPIRE DIE!


Really, a 2008 thread, and nothing has changed since.


DIE VAMPIRE DIE!

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Haven't you figured out that the world is divided into the US and not the US?

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

As with all of these questions, the answer is "it depends."

A slingshot is not like... say, a wrench, which has a normal and expected use, but could be pressed into service as a weapon in some circumstances. A slingshot is a different kind of thing, and a thing that has been used as a weapon for millennia. There may very well be some countries in the world that would classify a slingshot as a weapon, and make it every bit as illegal to have as a machine gun. I don't know. You have to check the laws in each and every country that you plan to visit.

But those slingshots made for launching water balloons do present an interesting question. What if your water balloons were filled with ammonia instead? If you are accurate enough with it, you might disable those in an approaching vessel. At the very least, slow them down dramatically. Or, as mentioned, use it for launching a Molotov cocktail?

The question wasnt about 'weapons', it was about 'firearms', and sling shots like archery sets and cross bows are not fire arms.

[hellosailor]

Sorry, Rustic, but in NYC and perhaps all of NYS, there is actually a legal definition of "firearm" on the books, just in case Officer Friendly has any confusion about it.
Any device that fires a projectile by any means of stored energy, specifically including springs, compressed air, explosives, etc. is legally classed as a firearm. So yes, that includes slingshots (although not slings like David used) and both crossbows and bows, and air rifles. And rail guns.


Most jurisdictions have written definitions for these things, and a surprising number have gone to "stored energy" and "projectile" as the two criteria.


And unless NYC has changed the infamous "Sullivan Law"...if you ever trained as a boxer or in any martial art, and you stick your paws in your pockets? You're carrying a concealed weapon, too. The formal training turns your paws into legally defined weapons. Oddly enough, a scathing tongue is not considered a weapon.


The world's a funny place.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

That's hilarious

I am where the cruise ships go

Love the lawns and laundry

Very, very funny

Oh, and 'Uninhabited' ...that's just priceless

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Oh I love that. I shared it around the office to a good laugh

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Sorry, Rustic, but in NYC and perhaps all of NYS, there is actually a legal definition of "firearm" on the books, just in case Officer Friendly has any confusion about it.
Any device that fires a projectile by any means of stored energy, specifically including springs, compressed air, explosives, etc. is legally classed as a firearm. So yes, that includes slingshots (although not slings like David used) and both crossbows and bows, and air rifles. And rail guns.

Most jurisdictions have written definitions for these things, and a surprising number have gone to "stored energy" and "projectile" as the two criteria.

And unless NYC has changed the infamous "Sullivan Law"...if you ever trained as a boxer or in any martial art, and you stick your paws in your pockets? You're carrying a concealed weapon, too. The formal training turns your paws into legally defined weapons. Oddly enough, a scathing tongue is not considered a weapon.

The world's a funny place.

Well, yes the law in NYC and NYS, I concede you are no doubt correct. Did you like Lizzy Belle's map?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

The question wasnt about 'weapons', it was about 'firearms', and sling shots like archery sets and cross bows are not fire arms.

A difference that makes no difference. In many jurisdictions possession of a "weapon" will get you just as much jail time as possession of a "firearm." I doubt that the OP (or anyone else for that matter) is completely unconcerned about going to prison, but desperately worried about the particular dictionary definitions of these words.

The real point, though, is that every jurisdiction is different. Asking "is a slingshot a firearm?" is a completely meaningless question unless you specify WHERE you are talking about. It could be just a child's toy in one country, and a weapon that will get you thrown in jail for the rest of your life in the next country over.

Why does it continue to be so hard for so many people to grasp the concept that the world is made up of many different countries, and each country gets to make their own laws? (And, just to be clear, Rustic Charm, this is a rhetorical question, not directed at you.)

[hpeer]

Tanks for the sling shot specific responses.

Found this link that shows the hat makes a NY slingshot illegal.

Pretty idiotic.

http://www.slingshots.com/html/new-y...-gun-laws.html

[GordMay]

In Canada, certain Air Guns meet the definition of a firearm, but are deemed NOT to be firearms, for purposes of the Firearms Act and related offences in the Canadian Criminal Code.
Air guns and other barreled weapons designed to have:
- A muzzle velocity of 152.4 meters per second or less
and/or
- A muzzle energy of 5.7 joules or less.
➥ Frequently Asked Questions - General - Royal Canadian Mounted Police
➥ Air Guns - Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Tetepare]

UK just enacted a law that air rifles must be registered. I suspect that will have negative ramifications concerning air rifles on board visiting yachts as well.

Some versions of slingshots are illegal in New York State.

Tuvalu has strict laws (though vague laws) about air rifles, and something about optics restrictions as well- I think no red-dot sights.

It's a good idea to keep up on local laws since they are always changing.