A Warning...heed it, ignore it...I'm too old to be impacted!

Only a few years ago, we didn't have repeating pcp airguns, and .25 was seen as an unlikely hobbyist caliber.

Today, we have 9 mm, .357 caliber, and 50+ caliber airguns. We have bolt-action, semi-automatic, full-automatic airguns, and pcp shotguns...

Let's be clear...given a multi-million dollar market...profit-driven industries will not stop bringing out more powerful airguns, until there is no further profitable market, or government intervention requires firearm type regulations for compressed air propelled weapons. (vis a vis: State of Illinois: 700 fps/.177 caliber limit)

Do any of you believe a bureaucrat will see a difference between pcp's and firearms, when the end result is a deadly projectile impact with a human being?

Average air gun hobbyists have to organize, and give notice to air gun manufacturers who struggle to grab market share from the competition by making pcp's bigger, more powerful, more deadly, that our sport is endangered by their actions.

If we can now delineate the difference between the small caliber hobbyist, and the large caliber, ultimate-power enthusiasts, we might survive the inevitable changes coming. A start is for responsible forum owners to move posting of information regarding large caliber air guns to a different forum! This segregation may be our only defense when the government comes calling!

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There it is...unload on me haters, everyone else...step up and express yourselves. If we don't self-regulate, the government will most certainly do it for us!



Kindly 'Ol Uncle 
 
Hay hepottor,im with you"god if ya need something bigger then a 25cal air gun get a 22 powder.Yep they will be comeing down on us when some one gets killed by a large cal airgun?then they will be lumped in with all air guns.Ya sure gave old CT Steve the run around on the old yellow" Once they got all the new mods over their they smoked me out"cant we all be happy with 177 and 22 pellet?kinda like thats what its all about" I now your thinken get outta here old fool" Willy We have to be careful?or we will be reduced to this"

https://www.ebay.com/i/222914456608?chn=ps
 
In the Napoleonic Wars,the German had some air rifles that were devastating to the French Army.

Napoleon decreed, “Any one found with an air rifle, shall be executed immediately.”



While, I am aware that some of those using high powered air rifles are not allowed, for one reason or another, to own conventional powder burning firearms, we should police ourselves, else someone else will.

At 73, more regulation will not affect me but, for you younger types, you have been advised..


 
The Psychopathic Control Freaks won't be satisfied until every human activity is monitored and controlled.

Trying to differentiate small bore from the ever increasing power levels of the latest offerings will do NO good. We in the RC community tried to differentiate ourselves from the Drone Industry to no avail. Even a tiny harbor freight cheapo foam RC plane that very few people can actually fly is required to have an FAA issued "REGISTRATION" number displayed on it. This was literally done by regulatory fiat against the express wishes of congress as well as OVERWHELMING negative public opinion. 

It's really only a matter of time before someone get's killed or something like that and I'm afraid we will suffer the same fate at least.
 
1) Removing yourself from another group of safe/legally practicing shooters is the fastest way to have legislation landed upon you! "If we do not hang together we will surely hang alone"

2) If you want to avoid legislation don't buy your next gun, give the money for the gun instead to the NRA to camapign on your behalf!

3) Money making manufacturers will invest in trying to stop legisaltion to ban or limit their sales, to say they are responsible for the demise by selling to the demanding customer is madness!
 
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED....pretty clear...protect it, demand it, vote for it. This is a right given by our creator, not one given by our government.

Support Gun owners of America, the NRA and your states pro gun owners group.

Shall not be infringed...crystal clear!!! FIGHT to keep our rights!!
 
Question,why shouldn't an automatic big bore air gun not be regulated and does the NRA care about air gunners?I am a member of the NRA....and my questions are because I am curious.....btw I see No need in large bore automatic air guns,other than they be Fun,give then a bolt or lever and I see no problems....air supply will be a problem....

Watch out ,you are being watch and so is your silencer=people thinking it can not happen.
 
I have been professing cautiousness for a long time and have gotten my share of "the sky is falling" responses.

We can do little or nothing about the states air guns are already regulated in. They are to be expected due to the fact those states seem to want to regulate everything and they are ALL run by the same political people and have been for years. It is the states that have not jumped the bandwagon that we should concern about and then the big one of course, the Feds.

I can shoot my air guns in my yard because they are not firearms in my state and as long as pellets don't leave my property, I am good. If they get regulated Federally as firearms, they it becomes illegal to shoot them within specified distances of residences.

Keep the noise down boys. If the air gun companies continue on their way for power, they have no one to blame but themselves if regulation comes on and sales plummet.

I will take accuracy with my 177's over power any day.
 
When they forced registration on the Radio Control community we already had a large well funded organization. We had nearly a century of an un-checkered safety record with full size aircraft and policing ourselves. We had a written exemption in the mandate the FAA received to regulate drones. We hired a professional lobbyist to advocate for us and keep us informed of the current state of affairs. And they repeatedly lied to him saying they fully intended to comply with their mandate. They disregarded the 90% plus disapproval on the public comment forum they put up. When they put out their final disposition they included us anyway and IMO that was their intent from the start. When a deep pocketed individual sued and won on the grounds they had ignored their mandate, they got an amenable congressmen to insert a line item in an omnibus spending bill to get what they wanted.

IMO they will try to get airguns legally lumped in with firearms regardless of any perceived legal protection we're afforded, in some of the draconian legislation making it's way onto governor's desks as we speak. And it's been made abundantly clear by the sponsors of this gun control agenda that they'll only stop when we're disarmed. 

Yes It is time to organize. Personally I wouldn't count on the NRA since they have history of throwing bones to regulators to try and avoid worse legislation. It's no real concern of theirs if we exist or not. And for that matter they're main sponsor the firearms industry probably considers the money spent on airguns lost competition.
 
The NRA (or any organization for that matter) is not perfect. Even so, they are the most powerful national lobby around protecting your 2nd Amendment rights. If you don't join them, how do you expect to influence them to protect your rights? Choosing not to own firearms still means you get to be a responsible adult and make a choice. Same thing goes for big bore, powerful air rifles. I read a lot of division in the comments above. What about protecting everyone's right to make a choice (small caliber, large caliber, powder burner, silencer,etc)? Isn't that what the discussion is really about?

To think that any corporation or industry has the public interest at heart, I would like to harken back to yesteryear and the YouTube "algorithm adjustment" of 'ought-18 when many airgun channels were shut down (along with firearm channels) by the "public media industry."

One thing missing from all the comments I have seen so far in these "threat to our freedom" threads: vote. Vote in every election you are elligible to vote in. Register to vote in primaries, local elections, etc. If you live in Chicago, vote early, and vote often, as the joke goes. 😀 If all you do is wring your hands and wait for somebody else to fix what you see as wrong, and you don't/didn't vote, you got out exactly what you put in. A lot of people suffered without the ability to chose, got sick of it, and fought/died so we could vote and chose. Waste that opportunity at all of our collective peril.

I'm an NRA member, I support the 2nd Amendment (along with the Constitution and all the other Amendments), I like having choices, and I vote every chance I get. Airguns are awesome, and I will do everything I can to protect ALL of the many choices available within the hobby.

Bill
 
You can fight the BATF and win - the rocket community did when they made an arbitrary ruling that rocket fuel was an explosive (it isn't).

Fought them in court and the man LOST.

It can be done. Especially since the F stands for Firearms, which air guns are not.



And, BTW, I personally think that the NRA could care less about Air Rifles, but that's my take.
 
A house divided will not stand.

It’s only in the NRA’s best interest to represent the air gunner. Many of us aren’t just air gunners anyhow and even if you are it’s only in your best interest to support the NRA as well. 

Having a united front and voting are our two best chances to keep regulations at bay. When the government fears the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny. 

It’s futile to try and stop the tide of innovation. You’re no different than the legislators that you fear by telling others what they should or should not have or do. I don’t desire big bore air guns, semi auto or full auto air guns either but I’ll defend your right to own them. Your an enemy within our ranks from my point of view if you do not stand and support your fellow air gunner regardless of your individual interests in the sport. 

Evolve and adapt or go extinct. It’s actually a choice we have control of. So choose wisely. 
 
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