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

If you’re from Louisiana and are looking to get into airsoft, one of the first questions you may have is are airsoft guns legal in Louisiana. 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana, 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 comprehensive guide on are airsoft guns illegal.

If you are already familiar with federal laws and want to know about Louisiana 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 Louisiana?

Airsoft guns are perfectly legal in Louisiana, both for adults and for children, similar to most of the US. In fact, Louisiana doesn’t impose any additional requirements regulating airsoft. Therefore, you only need to be respecting US federal laws and you’re good to go. Still, different cities and parishes may have their own regulations, so you’ll need to look up the specific rules for the location where you want to play.

Louisiana Airsoft Laws

There are no statewide Louisiana airsoft laws regulating airsoft. Louisiana is a very airsoft-friendly state. Just make sure to not go against the abovementioned federal law rules.

Both adults and minors can use airsoft guns. However, only those 18 years and older can buy an airsoft gun. An airsoft gun is required to have an orange tip when it’s in a store. Once you buy it, you can opt to remove the orange tip, as most players will do.

Apart from the orange tip, Louisiana doesn’t require any other coloring on the airsoft gun as some states do, neither before it’s sold nor when using it.

But, parishes and cities can have their own regulations. For example, there’s a Municipal ordinance regulating airsoft in Louisiana’s biggest city, New Orleans. However, its requirements are very relaxed. The only important thing that it bans is shooting from an airsoft gun outside private properties and airsoft fields. But this is something that you should follow anyway.

Apart from New Orleans, even other parishes and cities may have their own regulations. Therefore, you should always look up the regulations for your location. You can check with the airsoft community in your parish or city, in airsoft stores, or at airsoft fields located in your county.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the legality of airsoft in Louisiana. We looked into federal laws that regulate airsoft in Louisiana as well as the rest of the US, but we also discussed if there were specific airsoft laws in Louisiana. As you saw, Louisiana doesn’t have statewide airsoft laws, but certain cities or counties have their own requirements.

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