WorldWide Airsoft Regulations part 2

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Hungary

* The laws for airsoft in Hungary are simple (however there are additional rules). They're classified as airguns under 7.5 Joules. Fully automatic operation is legal. There is no age limit for buying, but minors (between 16 and 18) can only use them under the supervision of an adult.
* Airsoft guns can only be sold in licensed gun shops and these guns must have the proofmark of the "Hungarian Firearm Proofing Authority" (www.mkh.hu). An inspection of the gun is required for private import.
* Shooting of airguns: must be confined to a railed off private property or a shooting range. No pellet/BB should leave the range or property.
* Modification: modification of an airgun for higher muzzle energy is prohibited, but under 7.5 Joules there is no legal penalty for such act (above 7.5 Joules airguns classified as firearms which require license).
* Transportation: unloaded, in a closed case/bag.
* Storage: unloaded, gun separated from pellets/BBs, closed container, unauthorized persons should not have access to the gun
* Above the restrictions of law there are additional rules named "Hungarin Airsoft Regulation" or MASZ for short. All well-organized games (99,9 percent) are played by these rules.
* MASZ specifies the gun to use 6mm BB-s with the ballistic energy up to 1,7 Joules with any shooting type, up to 1,5 Joules semi-auto or spring or up to 1,1 Joules automatic in CQB (Close Quarters Battle), 3,3 Joules with one-shot spring or half-auto weapon that can used only over 20 meters and only by adults. It contains expectations for the right protection (mainly for the eyes) and other useful rules and instructions for ingame and other situation like: surrendering, pyrotechnic, injuries, civilians, and orders for correct operating of guns.

MASZ: [2]

Indonesia

* In Indonesia, there are no strict rules about it, and still under no consideration by the government as to whether airsoft guns are treated as "toys" or are almost equal to real guns. However, airsoft were first brought to Indonesia circa 2000 - 2001. The founders of Indonesian airsoft communities put some restrictions on airsoft games.
o For example, airsoft players are prohibited to upgrade their gun to above 100m/s, or they'll be rejected from the community.
o Anyone who wants to buy an airsoft gun, must be at least 18 years old and know the regulations and rules about the airsoft gun.

Some events have occurred that are perceived as endangering the continuity of the hobby, such as some robberies in which airsoft replicas were used.

Therefore, in order to control its grown, there is a govt authorized club called PERBAKIN (Indonesian Shooting Club) which is currently appointed by police to accommodate Airsoft as a new born sport. however, this information about Perbakin is inaccurate, an anonymous tip informs that PERBAKIN do not have any agenda whatsoever relating to airsoft

Most likely that the Airsoft will be under IPSC supervision since one of the sport type can be categorized as IPSC (practical shooting) and not just only skirmish (war game).However this statement can only be a wishfull thingking cosidering how little the government's attention in this activity. Govt don't approve skrimish as a sport, they only permit Target shooting and IPSC only. In other words, if you want to play Airsoft, you should become a member of this Perbakin Club and not participating in skirmishes, but only in IPSC.

Ireland

The status of Airsoft in Ireland was changed after the 2006 Criminal Justice Act, which amended the previous Firearms Acts from 1925, 1963, 1972 and 1990.

Where once authorization or a license was required for all devices which fired a projectile from a barrel, The law now defines a firearm as (amongst other things);

an air gun (including an air rifle and air pistol) with a muzzle energy greater than one joule of kinetic energy or any other weapon incorporating a barrel from which any projectile can be discharged with such a muzzle energy

The aim of this change was to establish a minimum power a device must have to be classified a firearm in order to eliminate the legal oddity where toy suction cup dart guns and the like were legally classified as firearms, thus bringing Ireland into line with the rest of the EU. In this case, one joule was used as the limit, as opposed to seven joules in Germany, 12 foot-pounds force (8.9 J) in the UK and so on. The one joule limit most likely arose from UK case law where it was found that energies in excess of one joule were required to penetrate an eyeball (thus causing serious injury). As a result, airsoft devices under one joule of power have been declassified and have become perfectly legal to possess and use within The Republic of Ireland. Those over one joule of power remain perfectly legal to possess and use within the Republic, so long as a firearms certificate is applied for and granted by the local Garda superintendent - but they are at this point classed legally as actual firearms.

Airsoft devices with a muzzle energy in excess of one joule must be licenced and as such must have a serial number marked indelibly on them; with firearms this is achieved by stamping or engraving the number on the receiver or other critical component of the firearm; with airsoft devices which do not have such serial numbers, one must be indelibly marked on the airsoft device. A discussion on the exact manner in which this is to be done should be had with the local Garda Superintendent, as different Superintendents may have different preferences for this. However it should be noted that the airsoft device in question would then legally be a licenced firearm and shooting any person with it would constitute assault, furthermore, no Airsoft site in Ireland would allow any player to use an airsoft device in excess of 1 Joule, licenced or not.

Israel

Airsoft guns are classified as "dangerous toys" which makes airsoft illegal to import, manufacture and sell. This law is not very well enforced, however, and it is possible to find retailers who import MPEG level airsoft guns and also AEG level airsoft guns.

Israeli airsofters have created an airsoft association in an attempt to make airsoft legal - Girit "Girit Airsoft Association in Israel"("גירית – עמותת איירסופט לישראל"). Girit is cooperating with the Israeli Shooting Federation, joining it shortly as a member and cooperating with other governmental authorities in an attempt to make airsoft legal in Israel. For more information you may refer to http://www.airsoft.org.il


Girit Airsoft Association has established cooperation with USAPSA, Ukrainian, Slovenian, Swedish and Czech airsofters. An Israeli national airsoft tactical shooting competition took place near Beit Berel March 2007.

Italy

Airsoft guns and pistols are allowed a velocity below 100 m/s (328 ft/s) i.e. equivalent to 1 joule: under the law, airsoft guns are not classified as firearms. You can buy and sell it both from stores and from another private citizen.

* Red tips must be present on the barrel ends of the airsoft gun when they are imported and sold by a store. Once you own the airsoft gun, you may remove the red tip; however, the similarity between genuine firearms and airsoft replicas is close enough to provoke interaction with law enforcement personnel if an airsoft gun is mistaken for its real counterpart. Airsoft used to commit a crime is treated as if you had the real gun, assault weapons carry an extra mandatory sentence in addition to the regular punishment for the crime committed.
* The minimum age to purchase airsoft and/or use it during a regular match is 18, or 14 if accompanied by a parent or legal tutor.
* Usage and open carrying of air soft guns in public places is forbidden. You can play in a private property away from public sight, or in a well-delimited private or state property after having asked the local authorities for a limited-time permit (usually from 6 to 48 hours), and having alerted the local police command, to avoid alarmed citizens calling for emergency.

Japan

* In Japan, airsoft guns are legal, but may not shoot with a muzzle energy above 0.98 joules.
* Legal requirements are set on airsoft model manufacturers to prevent any possibility of a replica weapon being converted into an actual firearm.
* Standards include (but are not limited to) use of low-melting point metals and non-ballistic plastics in structural components and incompatibility of mechanical components with actual firearm components and mechanisms.
* The overall litmus test used by the Japanese National Police Authority is whether the replica weapon can be made to chamber and fire an actual round of ammunition.
* These standards have proven successful within Japan, as it has been found that criminal elements discovered that it is significantly easier to purchase an actual illegal weapon in comparison to modifying a comparatively fragile replica into a functional firearm.
* Due to this reality, most crimes involving a threat of physical violence are often perpetrated with edged weapons, as firearms seen in public are (by default) believed to be toys by the public at large.

Luxembourg

All airsoft guns are treated under the national weapon law and demand a personal user certificate.

Lithuania

Registration of any sort is not required for airsoft weapons, however, they are only available for purchase to people over 18 years. Airsoft players have established unofficial set of rules, which regulates the behavior of players, belonging to the community.