Can Airsoft Guns Kill?

It seems like an obvious question: Can airsoft guns kill birds? Other animals? People?! If you’ve ever played with an airsoft gun, you’ve likely heard that they aren’t supposed to shoot at humans or animals due to the likelihood of causing harm. After all, they are just toys, right? But what if you wanted to shoot a bird? Or a person? Is it true that they can’t cause serious damage? Let’s find out.

So, can airsoft guns kill? Direct shots from airsoft guns cannot kill humans. BB pellets feature a design that can barely penetrate the skin. It is therefore nearly impossible to sustain serious injuries that could lead to death from airsoft gunshots. Even basic modifications on guns would only make pellets fast enough to penetrate your skin but not deep enough to hit vital organs that can cause death.

Despite being certified (relatively) safe, it’s important to note that anything can be deadly under the right circumstances. Therefore, even the safest airsoft guns could get really dangerous when used carelessly. Throughout this article, we’ll review the extent of hurt that an airsoft gun can cause, as well as how to use airsoft guns without getting hurt.

Do Airsoft Guns Hurt?

In short, yes – airsoft guns hurt, but the hurt is not that bad. In fact, the degree of injury depends on factors like distance, pain tolerance, BB’s weight, clothing, gun power, etc.

The first thing to think about is that pain is generally subjective. A level of pain that someone sees as 3/10 may be a 7/10 for another person. It’s vital that you understand your level of pain tolerance and work accordingly. 

However, you can wear the right protective gear to prevent pain. For instance, shots at the fingers are usually very painful, so experts often advise that players wear the right armored gloves when entering airsoft battles. In addition, shots on sensitive areas like the eyes, head, throat, and ears can cause severe injuries. Therefore, getting the right protective gear to protect those areas is very important.

Let’s point out that despite the potentials of severe injuries, direct shots from airsoft guns do not kill. However, some conditions can cause the death of an airsoft player.

Conditions That Can Cause The Death of an Airsoft Player

As explained earlier, airsoft replicas are not designed to kill, although they may kill small lizards, rodents, birds, etc. (More on that later). However, despite their relative safety, airsoft guns can still get you killed. Here are situations where this can happen. 

1. Death by Law Enforcement 

This is the most common cause of death in airsoft. Airsoft Guns are designed as replicas of real guns, making it difficult to distinguish them from real firearms. As usual, law enforcement agents have a very short time determining whether the extent of the threat is significant enough to warrant extreme force. If a law enforcement officer perceives a threat from the brandishing of your replica, they may be left with no option other than to shoot to neutralize you.

 Unfortunately, this means that they’ll only find out that your gun is a replica after the damage has been done. This is why we often advise airsoft players to put away their guns when they are not on playing fields. 

2. Self-Defense

We’ve heard of situations where people try to use airsoft guns for self-defense. Unfortunately, this often causes more harm than good. While airsoft replicas may look like real guns, they are not. Bringing an airsoft gun against your assailant holding a real gun can put you in immense danger. 

Of course, there have been a few stories of homeowners succeeding in warding burglars off with airsoft replicas. But there’s a considerable risk attached. The chances are that the assailant would shoot you with their real gun if they perceive your airsoft gun as a potential threat to their lives.

3. Tripping and Falling

Yes, one of the most common causes of injuries in an airsoft field is tripping and falling. Unfortunately, most airsoft players tend to lose their basic sense of caution with the adrenaline pumping.

Well, injuries like dislocations and bruises can be treated, but there have been reports of life-threatening injuries too. For instance, an airsoft player may trip and fall with their eye socket onto the barrel. In this case, the player’s weight drives the barrel into their brain, causing very severe injuries or instant death.

Can Airsoft Guns Kill Birds or Other Animals?

It depends on the animal, but yes, airsoft guns can kill some animals.

The probability of an airsoft gun killing an animal hugely depends on factors like animal size, BB weight, and the power behind the projectile. This is why some shots would kill an animal and others won’t.

As explained above, the muzzle energy of a typical airsoft gun is barely enough to do any damage to larger animals or humans. However, we do not recommend shooting or hunting animals with an airsoft gun, considering how inhumane it is.

Here let’s talk about the “it depends” factor.

The probability of airsoft shots killing animals would more specifically depend on the preciseness of your shots and the speed of the BB. For instance, an airsoft gun that spots a high FPS may kill small animals like birds, frogs, and lizards if shots are direct.

Now, if the question is whether an airsoft gun can scare animals away, then we’ll say yes, it’ll do the job. However, different animals may react differently to airsoft shots. Direct shots may provoke dangerous animals and cause them to attack you.

Fortunately, there are several other ways you can try to get rid of animals without using your airsoft gun.

For instance, you can try a hawk or owl decoy to chase away birds causing nuisance. Such practices are typically more effective at keeping animals away without causing them harm.

How to Avoid Airsoft Related Deaths

Now that we’ve established the possibility of dying from airsoft-related incidents, it’s vital that we explore possible ways to avoid such deaths. Here are some of them.

1. Avoid Using Airsoft Guns Outside the Playing Field

Most playing fields have rules to ensure safe plays. They also have trained personnel that enforces the laws.

Unfortunately, playing outside such fields means playing without restrictions. So you can target potentially dangerous parts of an opponent’s body.

Besides, airsoft fields have first aid equipment to take care of injuries before medical help comes. Unfortunately, a player can bleed to death if they don’t receive help on time.

Taking an airsoft gun outside the playing field can also expose you to law enforcement officers who may confuse it with a real gun. So, we often advise playing in the airsoft field and leaving every piece of equipment in the airsoft field.

2. Wear Safety Gear

We can’t overemphasize this point. Wearing the proper safety gear saves you a lot. Remember we talked about the possibility of falling on the barrel of your gun. The right safety gear would help prevent the impacts of such falls. They would also prevent severe injuries from direct shots. 

Never underestimate the importance of safety gear. In fact, you should first invest in safety gear before buying an airsoft gun because they guarantee your safety.

3. Do Not Use Airsoft Guns for Self-Defense

It can be tempting to pull out an airsoft gun when facing an attack. Unfortunately, there’s very little that an airsoft gun can do for you in such situations, considering they can barely kill. Instead, they’ll trigger your attacker to harm or even kill you.

Therefore the best thing to do when under attack is to leave your airsoft gun in its shield. Instead, raise the alarm when it is safe to do so or call the police if you can to help you get out of the situation. Again, you stand a better chance of safety without an airsoft gun than with one.