Airsoft and Senate Bill SB 798
The California Legislature is looking at a bill that will require airsoft guns for sale to be brightly colored or clear so that they won’t be mistaken for the real thing. The bill is SB 798, which passed the Senate Public Safety Committee by a 3 to 2 vote just recently.
If passed as a law, it will be illegal to own, sell, transport, or manufacture an imitation weapon that is not either white or a bright color of orange, red, green, yellow, blue, purple, or pink.
The imitation firearms can have any of these colors as the primary color or in conjunction with other colors. The only other alternative is that the product is clear so the inner workings can be seen to assure that it is not a real firearm.
There are certainly some concerns with the realistic appearance of Airsoft Rifles, but it is highly doubtful that painting an imitation weapon with bright colors is going to solve the problem. What will prevent criminals from spray painting real firearms to look like fake ones just to gain an advantage?
The reasons for this bill are admirably based on an incident in 2010 in which a thirteen year old boy was shot because an officer thought he had a real weapon. While this is sad, the main reason for the mistake was the way the young man reacted when the officer ordered him to surrender.
In a movement the officer thought was threatening, the teen pulled the “gun” from beneath his coat in one swift motion. Because he did not speak or attempt to explain himself, there is no small wonder that the officer fired his weapon.
There are certainly safer ways to do almost anything, but whether a real or fake weapon is painted or not in no way makes them more or less dangerous.