Are Airsoft Guns Legal in Colorado: Definitive Guide to Colorado Airsoft Laws

If you’re from Colorado and are looking to get into airsoft, one of the first questions you may have is are airsoft guns legal in Colorado. Airsoft laws are a tricky subject since they differ from state to state, and are also subject to change. But, no need to worry. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know when it comes to Colorado airsoft laws.

Let’s dive in.

What Are Airsoft Guns?

But before looking into their legality, you need to know exactly what airsoft guns are. Basically, they’re toy guns designed in a way to closely resemble real guns in look and feel. Unlike real weapons, airsoft guns shoot tiny, plastic BBs that are mostly harmless, as long as the safety precautions are taken.

Due to their realism, they’re used in airsoft, which is a combat simulation game. It’s similar in concept to paintball, but the guns look much more realistically. Even though they look more realistic than paintball guns, they may be even safer and may hurt less, given that the BBs are much smaller and made of plastic.

Are Airsoft Guns Legal in the US?

When it comes to airsoft gun laws in a certain state, they’re regulated by both federal and state laws. Therefore, before looking into airsoft gun laws in Colorado, you need to be familiar with federal airsoft laws in the US. We go over them in this section. If you want to learn more, you can check out this full guide on the legality of airsoft.

If you are already familiar with federal laws and want to know about Colorado specifically, you can skip this section.

Under federal law, airsoft and airsoft guns are legal in the US. However, certain states have their own laws which set additional conditions that airsoft players must respect.

Even though they’re legal to own and use for anyone, only people 18 years and older can buy an airsoft gun. This is true both for physical stores, as well as online. Also, airsoft guns must be sold with an orange tip installed on them, in order to differentiate them from real guns.

Airsoft guns are considered toys in US federal law, and not real guns. Therefore, they are not subject to regular gun laws. There are, however, some states where that’s not the case. And even in states where they’re considered toys, attempting to use airsoft guns for something like a robbery will probably see you charged with armed robbery, just as you would if you were to try to rob a store with real guns.

While they’re legal to own, in most states you shouldn’t use them outside of airsoft fields. Just carrying an airsoft gun in public can easily put you in trouble with the law. Worst of all, a police officer or a civilian may panic and pull out a real gun in order to defend themselves from you. Indeed, there are multiple cases of such incidents happening.

In most of the US, there are no age requirements to play airsoft. You can own and use as many airsoft guns as you want, regardless of your age. The only restriction is on the buying of airsoft guns, which is only allowed for people 18 years and older. So, if you’re under 18, you’ll need someone that’s willing to buy the airsoft gun for you.

You don’t even need a permit to buy an airsoft gun in the US. As long as you’re 18 years or older, you can simply walk into an airsoft store and get yourself an airsoft gun, just as you would buy any other everyday product.

In the US, all airsoft guns that are transported or being sold in stores need to have an orange tip on them, in order to distinguish them from real guns. However, once you buy an airsoft gun, in most states it’s up to you whether you want to keep the orange tip or you want to remove it. Still, while the orange tip may not look realistic, it will help other people know that it’s a toy gun and not the real thing.

To avoid trouble with the law, you should always refrain from showing off your airsoft guns in public. This is the main reason for most incidents with airsoft guns. Only use airsoft guns at airsoft fields. When transporting them to and from the airsoft field, have them safely packed in a gun case or a bag.

Are Airsoft Guns Legal in Colorado?

Airsoft guns are completely legal in Colorado for everyone to use, as it is in most of the US. Colorado has some statewide regulations for airsoft, but they are very reasonable and relaxed. Airsoft guns aren’t considered real weapons in Colorado law and are instead regarded as being similar to BB guns. All in all, Colorado is an airsoft-friendly state.

Colorado Airsoft Laws

Colorado airsoft laws further regulate the airsoft laws in the state. Therefore, apart from the federal law, you’ll need to comply with the state laws as well. Some counties may even have additional regulations, so if you live in one of those you’ll need to comply with their regulations too.

As already said, Colorado statewide regulations are extremely reasonable. For example, you’re forbidden to use your airsoft guns to point at other people (apart from consenting players in an airsoft game) in public or otherwise act as if you have a real gun.

Also, it’s forbidden to bring an airsoft gun to a school, which may lead to expulsion from the school. All of this should be common sense anyway.

Boulder County has some additional requirements that ban playing airsoft on open space property. If that’s where you’re living, it’s best that you consult with the airsoft community or the authorities there.

Apart from those, other aspects are regulated by federal law. Both adults and minors can use airsoft guns. However, only those 18 years and older can buy an airsoft gun. Manufacturers need to install an orange tip on the airsoft gun, but the owner can remove it if they wish so. There are no additional requirements about the coloring of the airsoft gun, as there is in certain states.

The last thing to keep in mind is that individual counties may have their own regulations. We mentioned Boulder County, but other counties can have additional limits. Therefore, you should look up the regulations for your county. You can check with the local airsoft community, in airsoft stores, or at airsoft fields located in your county.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the legality of airsoft in Colorado. We looked into federal laws that regulate airsoft in Colorado as well as the rest of the US, but we also looked at airsoft laws in Colorado specifically. As you saw, Colorado doesn’t impose many additional airsoft requirements and is, therefore, an airsoft-friendly state.

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