Yes, in England and Wales most air guns and BB guns are legal to own without a licence, as long as they stay under the legal power limits and you follow the age and use rules. Scotland is different: you need an air weapon certificate from Police Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own, stricter firearms rules.
Is it an Air Gun or a BB Gun? Why the Label Matters
People use “BB gun” for two quite different things, and the law treats them differently.
- Air weapons: air rifles, air pistols and CO2 guns that fire pellets or metal BBs. These are regulated under the Firearms Act 1968.
- Airsoft guns: replica guns that fire small plastic balls, usually 6mm. These are not firearms under the 1968 Act, but they are regulated as imitation firearms.
If your “BB gun” fires metal BBs or pellets, treat it as an air weapon. If it fires plastic balls, treat it as an airsoft gun. The power limits and the offences that apply are different for each.
Air Gun Power Limits in the UK
An air weapon needs no certificate in England and Wales unless it is declared “specially dangerous”, according to the Home Office guide on firearms licensing law. Under the Firearms (Dangerous Air Weapons) Rules 1969, that means a muzzle energy above:
- 6 foot-pounds (ft-lb) for an air pistol
- 12 ft-lb for any other air weapon, such as an air rifle
The consequences differ by type:
- An air rifle above 12 ft-lb must be held on a firearm certificate.
- A short air weapon above 6 ft-lb is a prohibited firearm, so you cannot hold it on an ordinary certificate.
- Some air weapons that use self-contained gas cartridge systems are also prohibited.
Two practical points catch people out. First, muzzle energy can vary between guns of the same model, especially near the limit, so a gun sold as 12 ft-lb may not be. Second, CO2 guns are treated as air weapons if they are not specially dangerous, but guns powered by other gases do not get the exemption.
Are Airsoft and Plastic BB Guns Legal?
Yes, but with limits. Airsoft guns are not firearms under the 1968 Act where they fire small plastic balls of 8mm or less and stay within these energy limits:
- 1.3 joules for a gun that can fire two or more shots without the trigger being pulled again (automatic)
- 2.5 joules for any other airsoft gun
Above those limits the gun can fall into the firearms rules.
The bigger risk is how the gun looks. Under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, it is an offence to manufacture, sell, import or bring into Great Britain a “realistic imitation firearm”. A gun is “realistic” if it is indistinguishable from a real firearm for practical purposes, judged by size, shape and principal colour. It is not “realistic” if it is:
- under 38mm high or 70mm long, or
- mainly bright red, orange, yellow, green, pink, purple or blue, or transparent
There are defences for museums, theatre, film and television, historical re-enactment and some other uses. Airsoft skirmishing is covered by a defence under the 2007 regulations, which requires third-party liability insurance, and retailers commonly check for a skirmish site membership such as UKARA. The offences carry up to 51 weeks in prison in England and Wales (6 months in Scotland), a fine, or both.
It is also an offence to sell an imitation firearm to someone under 18, or for an under-18 to buy one. None of this makes a taser or stun gun any easier to own, because those are prohibited weapons in the UK.
Air Gun Law in Scotland
Since 31 December 2016, section 2 of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 has made it an offence to use, possess, purchase or acquire an air weapon in Scotland without an air weapon certificate. Some exemptions apply, listed in Schedule 1 to the Act. The penalties are:
- Up to 12 months in prison, a fine, or both on summary conviction
- Up to 2 years in prison, a fine, or both on conviction on indictment
If you move to Scotland with an air rifle that did not need a certificate in England, you need one there.
Air Gun Law in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has separate firearms law. Trade guidance says an air weapon that fires with more than 1 joule of kinetic energy is treated as a firearm there and needs a certificate from the PSNI. If you live in or travel to Northern Ireland with an air gun, check the current rules with the PSNI before you go.
Age Limits for Air Guns and BB Guns
In England and Wales the age rules under the Firearms Act 1968 work like this, according to trade and club guidance, which you should check against current police guidance:
- Under 14: you can only use an air gun under the supervision of someone aged 21 or over, on private premises with the owner’s or occupier’s permission.
- 14 to 17: you can use an air rifle without supervision on private premises with permission, but you generally cannot buy one.
- 18 and over: you must be at least 18 to buy an air rifle or air gun ammunition, and it is illegal to sell either to someone under 18.
Scotland and Northern Ireland add certificate rules on top, so a young person may need to be covered by an adult’s certificate.
Where You Can Use an Air Gun
Owning an air gun legally is not the same as being allowed to fire it anywhere.
- Your own garden: allowed if pellets cannot leave your property and you have a safe backstop. A pellet that strays onto a neighbour’s land or a public footpath can lead to a police complaint or a civil claim.
- Other private land: you need the occupier’s permission, and your pellets must stay on land you have permission to use.
- Public land: shooting there without the owner’s explicit permission is illegal.
- Clubs and ranges: a recognised club or shooting ground is the safest lawful option.
Carrying an Air Gun in Public
Section 19 of the Firearms Act 1968 makes it an offence to have an air weapon with you in a public place, whether loaded or not, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse. The burden of proving a reasonable excuse is on you. Travelling unloaded and cased to a club, shooting ground or permitted land is the usual example of a reasonable excuse. Section 19 also covers imitation firearms, which is why carrying an airsoft gun in the street is a risk.
An air gun can also be treated as an offensive weapon if you use it, or mean to use it, to threaten or injure someone, and the same is true of other items such as a crossbow. Taking an air gun onto land without permission can lead to a charge of armed trespass, even if you never fire it.
People who are prohibited from possessing firearms, for example because of a past prison sentence, cannot have any air weapon or air gun pellets.
Storing an Air Gun
In England and Wales, the certificate conditions that require secure storage do not apply to low-powered air weapons, but you are expected to take reasonable precautions, such as a locked cabinet with the pellets kept separately. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, secure storage is a condition of the certificate. The same sensible approach applies to anything else at home that could be seen as a weapon, and it helps to know when police can seize knives from your home without a warrant.
Questions Mostly People Ask:
No. It is illegal to sell an air rifle or air gun ammunition to someone under 18, and it is an offence for an under-18 to buy an imitation firearm or for anyone to sell one to them.
Not in England and Wales if it is at or below 12 ft-lb (6 ft-lb for a pistol). In Scotland you need an air weapon certificate. In Northern Ireland an air weapon above 1 joule is treated as a firearm and needs a certificate.
Yes, if you are old enough, pellets cannot leave your property and you have a safe backstop. If a pellet crosses into a neighbour’s land, I could face a police complaint or a civil claim.
No, not without a reasonable excuse. Section 19 of the Firearms Act 1968 covers imitation firearms in a public place, and a realistic-looking one can alarm the public and the police. I would only move it unloaded and cased, to a permitted site.
If it is an air weapon, such as a metal BB or pellet gun, yes. Since 31 December 2016 the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 has required an air weapon certificate.
