Air rifles? (Read 7511 times)

tillamook

Air rifles?
« on: February 15, 2018, 01:40:14 PM »
Any (over-reaching unconstitutional) restrictions on air rifles in Hawaii?  Specifically the higher caliber ones that you fill with scuba tanks because of the higher pressures? 
How about air rifles that are integrally suppressed?

(being vague here on specific air rifles since I dont want to give a legislator and idea of something else to ban)

punaperson

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2018, 03:15:29 PM »
All I know about them is in the context of an exchange I had via email and a phone call with Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth over a year ago (wrote about it somewhere on here) about discharging firearms on my property (4 acres, ag zoned, no immediate neighbors, several hills that would serve as backstops, surrounded by thick ohia/waiwi forest, etc.). Roth said that the "reckless endangering" law may or may not be applicable, there were no specific detailed criteria (actually there are, but they are absurd, e.g. "not in the direction of a road", etc., which would mean that no one could shoot anywhere on the island except near the beach and in the direction of the ocean, etc.). We had quite the go round. I had said that I would likely only be shooting .22LR to minimize both noise and potential distance of any kind of possible ricochet, etc. After he told me that it would be totally up to the "discretion" of any police officer called to the scene by a complaining neighbor (and we all know how well "discretion" exercised by the police works for us here in Hawaii: zero CCW licenses) I mentioned that the reckless endangering statute only mentions "firearms", so would firing any kind of air-powered gun be legal? He said there is no prohibition against discharge of any airgun on any property (assuming you don't shoot it at a neighbor while they can see you doing it). I then asked, well, since some airguns shoot a larger caliber AND greater mass bullet than a .22LR at higher muzzle velocity, how does that make any logical sense? "I don't have an answer to that" was his response. That's just how they write laws here in Hawaii. Shall we expect a "greater muzzle velocity" bill soon?  :shaka:

ren

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2018, 03:38:32 PM »
I have a Benjamin Disco in .22 - it is loud. As long as you are shooting it at a range or on your own property and the pellet doesn't leave your property it should be legal
You can't open carry any airgun and must have it in a case when transporting. Obviously no CCW or open carry airguns or anything resembling a gun
Deeds Not Words

stangzilla

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2018, 04:17:14 PM »
I shoot a 22 air rifle and pistol on my property. No problem.
Young guns has a big selection of pre charged scuba tank type airguns. You could try call them and ask. They would probably know the legality of airguns in Hawaii.

kekoa

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2018, 04:42:33 PM »


Edgun Matador built in and shipped from Russia. A guy in Florida is the USA contact to get one of these. Its cool, its expensive not for everyone.

Its a .25

Flapp_Jackson

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2018, 04:46:20 PM »
« Last Edit: February 15, 2018, 06:07:46 PM by Flapp_Jackson »
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

zippz

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2018, 04:46:34 PM »
The AR15 of the frontier era and helped Lewis and Clark explore the west.

Hanabata

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2018, 06:16:05 PM »
Any (over-reaching unconstitutional) restrictions on air rifles in Hawaii?  Specifically the higher caliber ones that you fill with scuba tanks because of the higher pressures? 
How about air rifles that are integrally suppressed?

(being vague here on specific air rifles since I dont want to give a legislator and idea of something else to ban)

Last time I spoke to a local officer about it (many years ago), there wasn't any issue. No laws about it. Just don't do anything dumb with it was his only advice.
I see airguns showing up more and more on various firearm youtube channels (Demo Ranch, IV8888, etc) and it gets me concerned that with the public exposure, some politicians will decide airguns are vicious ghost guns with their deadly 3000psi tubes that can be used as bombs.  :wacko:

And yeah it's goofy that .22LR is a big no-no in areas that a responsible person would deem safe on their property.  Yet fully suppressed 50 cal, or even 12ga lead slugs from a big bore airgun are a-ok!
I no longer have my big bore airguns, but do still have some of the lead slugs... pictured below next to a .177 on the right.  ;D
The big one on the right is 1700 grains!



I still enjoy plinking with .25, .22 and .177 airguns currently.  They're nice and quiet and I don't bother my neighbors.


tillamook

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2018, 07:10:40 PM »
Last time I spoke to a local officer about it (many years ago), there wasn't any issue. No laws about it. Just don't do anything dumb with it was his only advice.
I see airguns showing up more and more on various firearm youtube channels (Demo Ranch, IV8888, etc) and it gets me concerned that with the public exposure, some politicians will decide airguns are vicious ghost guns with their deadly 3000psi tubes that can be used as bombs.  :wacko:

And yeah it's goofy that .22LR is a big no-no in areas that a responsible person would deem safe on their property.  Yet fully suppressed 50 cal, or even 12ga lead slugs from a big bore airgun are a-ok!
I no longer have my big bore airguns, but do still have some of the lead slugs... pictured below next to a .177 on the right.  ;D
The big one on the right is 1700 grains!



I still enjoy plinking with .25, .22 and .177 airguns currently.  They're nice and quiet and I don't bother my neighbors.

Thanks everyone.

Yeah, seeing stuff like 1100 ft/s,  500 ft lbs and 232 grains make me think that as soon as someone shoots one in the wrong direction there will be a law restricting them.  Especially when some are suppressed now as well    I'm wondering what term the media will be using for these evil pellet guns.  Cant really call them military style assault rifles. 

The funny part is that some actually have hand pumps for them.   

As Zipps posted above, The Girandoni air rifle that was actually used in WWII needed something like 20,000 pumps to charge it

punaperson

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2018, 08:35:10 PM »
Yeah, seeing stuff like 1100 ft/s,  500 ft lbs and 232 grains make me think that as soon as someone shoots one in the wrong direction there will be a law restricting them.  Especially when some are suppressed now as well    I'm wondering what term the media will be using for these evil pellet guns.  Cant really call them military style assault rifles. 
Perhaps you saw the claim by "Everytown" et al. a couple of weeks ago of 18 "school shootings" already this calendar year, you may not have seen the articles listing the reality of those "school shootings" which included a bb or pellet gun being shot at a school bus (no injuries)(others included a janitor who committed suicide in the school parking lot at night, a car that ran into a building at 2 AM and a shot was fired (possibly a negligent discharge due to the impact), etc. In almost all the cases no one or no one else besides the shooter was injured...).

tillamook

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2018, 09:00:28 PM »
Perhaps you saw the claim by "Everytown" et al. a couple of weeks ago of 18 "school shootings" already this calendar year, you may not have seen the articles listing the reality of those "school shootings" which included a bb or pellet gun being shot at a school bus (no injuries)(others included a janitor who committed suicide in the school parking lot at night, a car that ran into a building at 2 AM and a shot was fired (possibly a negligent discharge due to the impact), etc. In almost all the cases no one or no one else besides the shooter was injured...).

I did.  I think they should include school shootings that include spit wads and harsh words that are within 300 miles of a school.  NPR listed the same list today and then had someone on that said a study showed conceal carry causes more firearm murders or something to that effect.  Failed to mention that people with conceal carry licenses are involved in less crime than police officers. 

Confirmation bias.  Just stating things that support their narrative. 

aieahound

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #11 on: February 16, 2018, 05:58:37 AM »
The Stoeger integrally suppressed pellet guns are quiet.
I have one in .22 and will blow right through a Heineken mini-keg.
Way quieter than my Benjamin pump .22.
I don't know of any laws against them except don't let the pellet leave your property.

robtmc

Re: Air rifles?
« Reply #12 on: February 18, 2018, 03:28:08 PM »
Lead Dust Collectors (AKA LDCs) can tame the rather loud pop of a precharged air dun down to a "thud"  As the materials they are made from would fail on a powder burner, BATF does not consider them to be a dreaded silencer.

Makes my CO2 and high pressure Disco much more backyard friendly.

Tried one on my RWS 48 (high power spring gun) and it did almost nothing.  I suppose the mechanical racket is much of the sound.