state laws concerning air guns

I was reading our Connecticut laws regarding BB/Pellet guns today and found transporting a BB gun in a vehicle without a pistol permit is a class E felony- 3 yrs jail/$3000 fine. It must also be locked in trunk or locked case like a firearm. Carrying BB gun without permit- felony/5yrs. So although not a firearm by Ct. law the same laws apply to air guns as firearms with the exception of some supervised shooting events such as the Boy Scouts or other groups sponsor. In that case, the air guns must be in a locked case/trunk to and from event. How many of you live in states with similar restrictions? I also wonder how many people are unaware they are guilty of a felony and risking jail time, revocation of their pistol permits and fines.

AZAndy said:

When I lived in Ohio (Columbus), it was okay to shoot them in your basement or back yard. Now that I live in Arizona, I'd get arrested. It's not a state law, but my city considers them firearms, and there's no discharge of firearms inside city limits.

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We also have the 500ft from road or dwelling law too although I'm semi-rural. I believe the local towns have their own restrictions in addition to state. I'll check with local PD about that.

MedWheeler said:

Not here. Despite Florida's having just fallen significantly as a "free state", air guns are not considered firearms yet. My city had an ordinance prohibiting their use within city limits at one time. When the state's pre-emption law was given more "teeth" in 2009, making officials personally liable for charges of violating it, the ordinance quietly disappeared completely when the city announced it would no longer enforce its other firearms ordinances on discharge within city limits.

I hope this doesn't change, as I have recently re-discovered how enjoyable airgunning can be.

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Ct. does not classify BB and pellet guns as firearms but as "dangerous weapons" in the same category as switchblades. They're subject to some of the same restrictions as firearms when transporting, carrying and use. Back in the early sixties when I was a kid we all carried our daisy bb rifles in the yard and woods. I also recently started enjoying air gunning again but times have sure changed. I'm having trouble with some online distributors telling me they can't ship what I want to my zip code due to state restrictions. The governor recently said he wanted to stop manufacturers from making air guns that look like "real" firearms. That wouldn't bode well for the replica guns unless you wanted an orange one. At least my Ct. pistol permit allows me to transport a BB gun locked in the trunk/case.