[1DayUSuffer]

New to Airsoft, just bought my first rifle the other day, Valken ASL+ AEG, loving it so far. The only thing is I'd love for my rifle to look as realistic as possible, I feel like it will just enhance the overall experience of playing Airsoft! The orange tip kills that for me. So I am hoping to remove it. But by doing so, am I hindering my ability to play in airsoft games/competitions?

As always, all your guys' feedback is greatly appreciated, let's chat🤙

 

[Sickmak90]

I haven’t visited any fields but if you lookup any airsoft play the only guys with orange tips are the renters. I wouldn’t worry about that.

 

[interceptor]

Not a lawyer but reading the federal law, it is legal to own and play without an orange tip. So as long as you purchased it with an orange tip, swapping it out or painting it isn't illegal by federal law. Technically transporting it requires an orange tip but it is unlikely to be an issue if you put it in a locked case in your trunk. If you want to strictly follow the letter of the law, you can put on an orange tip while transporting and swap it out at the field but that's probably more hassle than it's worth.

That being said, you said look into the laws in New Jersey as state laws vary. Being from California, we have a very restrictive state law regarding airsoft (SB199) that adds additional pain to the federal law. (As an aside, the state senator who wrote the bill is now an LA city councilman who is in hot water for racist statements he made. That's karma for you.)

I wrote this back in 2017 - not sure if the laws have changed but it might be worth a read.

Airsoft Laws Interceptor August 26,2017

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and nothing in this article should be treated as legal advice. The reader should carefully study both local laws as well as the laws of their country for more detailed information. Introduction One of the appeals of airsoft is the...

www.airsoftsociety.com

 

[Sickmak90]

I didn’t know it was supposed to be transported with the orange tip. That being said I’m in WV and they wouldn’t care at all.

 

[rm105]

My understanding (NAL!) is this law applys to retailers and OEMs, not private individuals. An orange tip must be permanently installed by the manufacturer before shipping/exporting/importing the item to indicate that the 'gun' is 'fake' and not a real firearm - this is presumably to prevent the local fed Jr from making a mess in their pants during random crate inspections. Once it's in private possession, feds don't care what you do with your toy gun unless you actively get their attention.

Local and state laws can have some nuance to them so it's always good advise to look these things up, but generally speaking there is no expectation for a individual to keep the orange tip on the replica.

Note that some orange tips are integrated into the outer barrel in a way such that removing them impacts the oppreation of the replica. For most rifles this isn't the case, but on some pistols it very much is.

 

[Jimps]

Orange Tip Laws are so great !! Law makers are very logical and smart. Everyone knows that it is impossible to put an orange tip on a real gun. Wont cause confusion at all.

 

[Guges Mk3]

Orange Tip is actually a guideline and not a law.

 

[Jimps]

15 U.S. Code Chapter 76 on “Imitation Firearms.” Also called “look-alike firearms,” imitation firearms are regulated by the U.S. Code, Title 15, Chapter 76 – especially in section 5001.

The relevant part of the code reads: “[T]he term ‘look-alike firearm’ means any imitation of any original firearm which was manufactured, designed, and produced since 1898, including and limited to toy guns, water guns, replica nonguns [sic], and air-soft guns firing nonmetallic projectiles. …

“[E]ach toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm shall have as an integral part, permanently affixed, a blaze orange plug inserted in the barrel of such toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm. Such plug shall be recessed no more than 6 millimeters from the muzzle end of the barrel of such firearm.”

Well it is actually a law, as posted above. It more has to deal with the sale and import of "imitation firearms" not the use of them after sale. You can remove the orange tip legally. You can read the whole code and look up state laws. Some fields might require different things as well. Either way it makes zero sense to have orange tips. It gives people a false sense of security. Criminals could add an orange tip to a real gun. Someone sees it and thinks it is a toy, by the time you realize it is a real gun it is too late. Just a horrible idea to begin with. Saw a news story where people had Glocks with 3D printed housings around them to look like Nerf guns. They legit looked exactly like Nerf guns. Just shows how dumb FEDERAL LAW makers are. Now a criminal can get the drop on someone because they put an orange tip on their gun. People think "toy" or "airsoft" when they see that orange tip.

 

[OutlawAirsoft]

I wouldn't call the lawmakers "dumb" because of the orange tip rule. There needs to be a way of distinguishing between real and fake weapons as quickly as possible, especially for law enforcement. Just because there is an easy way to abuse the law does not make it "dumb".

Take for example property tax codes and laws. You don't have to pay the full finished product property taxes on an unfinished house, which is fine. I know people who leave one side of their house without siding so they never have to pay full taxes on it. Are there loopholes? Sure, but that does not make the law dumb.

 

[Guges Mk3]

Oh hey...that's new to me a USC Statute, versus a CFR which is more regulatory and a guideline in nature and what I was citing.

Seems the new USC pulls in the elements for the CFR.

 

[mr. potatohead]

What I don't understand too well is in Title 15 of the code of federal regulations section 272.1, it indicates the orange tip thing doesn't apply to "traditional B-B, paint-ball, or pellet-firing air guns that expel a projectile through the force of compressed air, compressed gas or mechanical spring action, or any combination thereof." Sounds like airsoft replicas would be exempt along with the others, but I guess not. Maybe the word "traditional" applies to paintball and pellet guns as well, making airsoft guns non-traditional and therefore subject to the regulations?

 

[Guges Mk3]

The CFR does state that let me see if I can find that...

From USC Statute:

Then the guideline below.

 

[mr. potatohead]

Ah, so I see. Airsoft replicas would fall under the definition of "imitation firearm," therefore the orange tips.

 

[Guges Mk3]

Specifically "Toy" in the (new to me) USC Statute...

 

[mr. potatohead]

Are paintball guns not "toys" too lol?

 

[Graybeard]

Technically no, they are ‘markers’. Tools for marking livestock….that’s why they are referred to frequently as paintball markers.

 

[Jimps]

Okay, if not dumb then dangerous. I had a "friend" commit suicide by cop, mental breakdown. He put an orange tip on his real gun. Cops thought it was a toy and he shot one of them because their guard was down. All guns should be treated like real guns, orange tip or not. People now associate orange tip with toy, and that is dangerous. The orange tip serves no purpose. Tell me what purpose it serves—to tell real from fake? Well, just gave an example where that got a cop shot. "well that is not common" Exactly.... The more people abide by the orange tip, the more criminals can take advantage of it. The stronger the sense of security, the bigger the surprise. Why is the orange tip only in the US? Our law makers are retarded. It is really only for import and sales, why have it at all. Make it make sense.

 

[Jimps]

Technically no, they are ‘markers’. Tools for marking livestock….that’s why they are referred to frequently as paintball markers.

Pretty sure the first paintball markers were for marking trees to be cut, and the workers started playing games with them.

 

[Graybeard]

According to Paintballaward.com:

”The paintball we know and love today is a relatively recent extreme sport. The history of paintball begins back in the 1960s. Nelson Paint Company crafted balls of paint in gelatin shells — the first paintballs. They contracted out custom CO2 pistols for firing the paintballs. Originally, paintballs were used for marking things like livestock or trees from a distance, or from a vehicle.” A Complete History of Paintball

Seems we’re both right…

 

[Guges Mk3]

A little more details...and Daisy was the second maker approached and they made the Nelspot 007...first company approached was Crosman.

"Around the 1960's Nelson Paint Company was urged by foresters to come up with a new way to mark trees. Nelson came up with paint encapsulated in .68 caliber gelatin balls. Paint balls. They decided that the easiest way to deliver these balls to the target was with a co2 powered air gun. Nelson went to Crosman Air guns, who built the Nelspot 707. Not enough were sold and Crosman backed out out of production. Daisy Air guns was approached, and asked to continue development of the gun. The result was the 007. The gun was manufactured exclusively for Nelson and was stamped Nelson Paint Company. Those of you familiar with Daisy air guns will recognize the typical Daisy dark gray paint and steel/ cast alloy construction. The guns were not individually numbered. Early guns had no removable barrel sleeve, and the magazine tube was threaded inside to accept threaded aluminum paint ball tubes. The pellet stop was plastic and snapped into the magazine center holes. As use of the gun evolved from industrial use to game play, Nelson made accessories available. The magazine threads were deleted with the switch to plastic paint tubes that stayed in the magazine by friction. A removable barrel sleeve was added to allow the use of barrel extensions. The plastic pellet stop which often broke on removal was replaced with a screw post. The gun was easy to strip with out special tools and only had two seals that prevented co2 leaks. For those reasons it became very popular with players and the after market which came up with hundreds of bolt on modifications and clones."

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