According to Google, airsoft is set to perform a St Valentine’s Day massacre on the Internet as it tops the poll as the most searched for shooting activity term.
Airsoft, which uses replica guns firing plastic balls, is outgunning activities such as paintball, laser quest and clay pigeon shooting in online searches. A staggering 2.7 million people searched for airsoft in January, compared to just 1.8 million for the perennial favourite paintball. Airsoft originated in Japan in the late 1970s as the Far Eastern answer to paintball. So what is the big attraction? And why is airsoft blasting away the competition?
Gary, 20, a student from Sheffield, who recently started taking part in combat games of airsoft, says: ‘It’s the authentic feel of military combat that turns people on.’ Primary school teacher Sally, 27, has been taking part in airsoft games for a couple of years. ‘I started playing when my boyfriend’s company organised a corporate airsoft day, and just loved it,’ she said. ‘It’s a team sport which involves tactics and working together to beat the opponent. So it is a mental as well as a physical challenge.’
One big difference between paintball and airsoft is there’s no paint marks when a person is shot, so honesty is the only policy for these gun fighters. Gary believes it is part of the attraction of the sport. ‘It’s a bit like golf, it’s easy to cheat, but in my experience people are very honest. It’s considered really bad form to argue if you’ve been shot,’ he says.
The hot debate within airsoft is over the control of the replica guns. The UK Airsoft Sites Governing Body (UKASGB) which represents airsoft sites and is supported by Sport England, argues for controls on the use of replica guns rather than a ban. The UK Home Office currently classifies airsoft guns as Replica Imitation Firearms (RIFs), which restricts their use to exempted activities such as combat games. So firing airsoft guns at a site is legal but don’t carry them while you are in the supermarket. If you want to find out why is airsoft is out firing other sports, click here.
10 facts to fire-off about Airsoft
1. Airsoft guns fire 6mm plastic bullets at speeds between 100 and 328 feet per second
2. Airsoft replica guns are normally lighter than normal guns and cannot be turned into real firearms.
3. Airsoft started as the Japanese answer to paintball.
4. The power of airsoft guns is limited in the UK to 328 feet per second, which is the equivalent to flicking your skin with a finger, when fired from a safe distance.
5. Airsoft dealers currently operate a voluntary ban on the sale of airsoft guns to under 18s
6. Airsoft sites normally have a minimum age restriction of 12, under 16s need to be signed for by a parent or guardian
7. The plastic balls fired by airsoft guns are biodegradable.
8. The three types of airsoft gun are spring, electric and gas operated – all using compressed air
9. Combatants normally take a timeout when hit
10. Like paintball, face masks are worn
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