"Saltlake58"As for buying air rifles in the US, it depends on where you are. If in New Jersey or New York, they are heavily regulated. If in California, it's darned near impossible to buy most types of guns in Southern California and only a bit more friendly in the northern part of the state. California has all sorts of weird restrictions on guns that aren't required anywhere else in the US. It's really important to know and understand local laws to avoid legal problems.
Where I am in Utah, air rifles are completely unregulated, so yes, you are correct, I can buy anything I like. Powder burners are a bit more restrictive, but only just. If I want a new rifle, I must pass a background check. Even here, it's getting harder and harder to find places convenient to shoot. We have quite a few ranges, but I'm used to shooting out in the desert where you have miles and miles of land between you and the next person. Not so any more. People are everywhere.
Even in the United States, the attitude towards guns is changing. So, all air gunners must be extra polite if you know what I mean. It's a right, and a privilege here. Sometimes it is hard to get people to understand how much of a privilege it is. It would be so easy to lose the privilege, we must be extra careful.