Many people believe playing Airsoft is hazardous and ridiculous pastime. Sure enough, you are renacting real life, dangerous situtuations. It is true that one could be seriously injured or blinded while playing. But for us the worst injury we have had is probably just a rolled ankle.
In the ethical respect, airsoft is no different from paintball. Both can cause serious damage to your eyes when not wearing the proper eye protection. This is why my friends and I strictly make sure our goggles are on at all times, even if they fog up. As far as the idea of shooting at other humans, I believe it is nothing like that at all. It is harmless other than an intitial stinging pain when your are hit.
The biggest controversy among the use of airsoft guns is the realness of them. This is where airsoft separates from paintball. Because paintball markers are not made to scale and models of real-life guns, police officers would not mistake it for a real gun. But for airsoft guns, there are in fact made to closely resemble real guns. The only thing separating a airsoft gun and a real gun at a glance is the orange muzzle or flash hider at the end of an airsoft gun. But this is ineffective because these orange tips are easily removable or painted black to resemble the real thing.
This realness comes into play with many crimes committed recently using airsoft/bb guns. Examples of this include armed robberies such as the links provided below:
Another very common crime committed using bb guns, not airsoft guns, is shooting out car windows. This accounts for $1.4 million in damages in the past six years, with each window costing $200 each to replace. Because of these serious and sometimes fatal crimes, the Cedar Rapids City Council has enacted a law banning people from carrying a loaded airsoft/bb gun. Before this change, the law only banned discharging of airsoft guns. The penalty for not abiding by this law is a $625 fine, and up to 30 days in jail. Here is a link to the blog I received most of my facts from, it outlines the problems with and steps taken against airsoft guns:
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