Some years ago when I was younger, I like collecting replicas of guns. These gun replicas were usually made of plastic or other light-weighed material. These "fake guns" really look like real as they're painted in black (in general) and have the scale of 1:1 as the real ones. Actually, there're some other "fake guns" made of half-metal part. It means it's heavier and look better just like the real guns. Yes... the heavier the materials mean the better of the quality as well as the more expensive the price.
As far as I can remember, I had 6 or 7 "fake guns" back then. I had 2 or 3 handguns, 2 machine guns, and 2 shot guns. The handguns also had some additional features, such as flashlight or laser sight. All of them were spring-powered types. It means those guns didn't require battery, gas, or other mechanical operation system. Simply by just clocking my guns with hand and the gun was ready to shoot. The bullets were only made of plastic in rounded-shaped (usually called as BB bullets). Although these guns were considered "safe", it's still recommended for the users to wear googles and other safety gears just for precaution.
Oh, yeah... I enjoyed myself very much back then with my guns. I imagine myself as a "tough guy" or "heroic-man" just like I ever saw in action movies... haha. OK, actually these airsoft guns are not only in spring-powered. Among other types, there're 2 more types commonly used: battery-powered and gas-powered. The battery-operated airsoft guns use portable rechargeable battery packs to power an internal electric motor, which power a gearbox, which in turn compresses the pump spring, propels the pellets via compression air and loads the pellet in cyclic fashion. It's then known as "automatic electric guns" (AEGs).
While gas-powered airsoft guns use the pneumatic potential energy stored within compressed gas to drive the shooting mechanism. The most common type is the "gas blow back" (GBB) guns. These gas guns use an internal canister (usually within the mag/place of bullet) that upon trigger-pull releases the prefilled bottle gas via a series of valves to propel the pellet and generate the blowback. The most common gases used are "green gas", CO2, nitrogen/high pressure air, or propane which requires an adaptor.
How fast can a BB bullet go after fired from an airsoft gun? Good question. Well, according to many references, airsoft guns shoot plastic pellet at velocity from 30 meter/second (for a low-end spring pistol/handgun) to 200 meters/second (for heavily upgraded-customized sniper rifle). Most non-upgraded AEGs are in the middle, producing velocities from 90 meters/second to 120 meters/second. Is it danger to get hit by these BB bullets? Not very, but it might injure the skin or the eyes of the users. Therefore, it's highly-recommended for the players to use eyewear and proper outfits when playing it with friends or in a community.
As the appearance of the airsoft guns are alike the real guns, no wonder that using --even carrying-- airsoft guns in public is strictly prohibited in many countries. The players should play it in certain areas which are far from public and has legal permission for it. Yeah... it's complicated because airsoft guns are not kids toy, but more like adult game with enough maturity. Tragic happened in some countries due to breaking the regulation. Some examples: 1) On June 5th 2024, an off-duty security guard fatally shot a 17-year boy in Washington who was trying to exchange an airsoft gun in a store. 2) On December 15th 2021, San Pablo police shot and killed a man who was carrying an airsoft gun they thought was a real gun. 3) On April 13th 2021, Maryland State Police responding to 911 calls of a suspicious gunman, fatally shot a 16-year old boy after he pointed out an airsoft gun at a state trooper. Wow... tragic, huh?
How about me? Am I still interested in this hobby? Yes, but I'm more carefully now in doing it. Besides, I'm not a very rich man. I mean, I prefer to buy the less-expensive airsoft guns, such as the spring-operated ones. Whenever I want to buy an airsoft gun, I also prefer to buy it offline (face-to-face) to avoid any unpredictable incident. As far as I know, the spring-operated airsoft guns made of plastic are still free to purchase by public in many markets. As for the "heavier-material" made airsoft guns do need a certain regulation to have it... plus we also must be registered in a shooting club or legal airsoft gun community.