Safety is an absolute must in the sport of airsoft, both for players and event coordinators. It is important that every player understand the risks associated with owning and operating airsoft equipment as well as the risks associated with playing the sport. It is also critical that event coordinators have a thorough knowledge of best practices for safely running an event and to be able to educate players new to the sport.

No one wants to get hurt playing airsoft and we really hope here that if your playing airsoft that you don’t want to hurt anyone else by playing unsafe. The following are some general safety guidelines for airsoft players. A general safety briefing should be held at the start of every airsoft event.

EYE SAFETY: First and foremost, players MUST always wear safety goggles when firing or being fired upon in ANY airsoft event or arena. Fully sealed impact rated eye protection capable of withstanding a minimum of 3J of energy should be employed at all times when not in a “safe” area. Prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses are NOT acceptable eyewear and should NEVER be allowed on the field of play. Be aware that many professionally run airsoft and paintball arenas have insurance policies that specifically disallow shooting or safety glasses even if they are properly impact rated because they are not fully sealed. Event coordinators should be explicitly clear in advertising events the minimum acceptable eye protection to participate in an event.

AIRSOFT WEAPONS ARE REPLICA FIREARMS: In general they should be treated with the same respect and level of care that you would give real firearms. Do not point the weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot, do not load the weapon until you are ready to take the field, do not remove the safety from the weapon until you are on the field and ready to fire, do not put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to discharge the weapon. Barrel blockers should be put on every weapon in a “safe”area, and not removed until the weapon is in the field of play. Because they are replica firearms, airsoft weapons should never EVER be brandished or openly carried outside of an event area. They should be stored and transported in a sealed and locked case to and from events or anytime they are not on private property. If you have not taken a firearms safety course, we highly recommend it, please contact your local law enforcement to obtain more information about where you can get training in your area.

Do NOT take airsoft weapons to school! Do NOT take airsoft weapons to work. Do NOT fire airsoft weapons in a public space or in public view at any time. Police officers will respond as if you were wielding real weapons, regardless of your age, and you will be likely be expelled, fired, arrested, shot and/or KILLED if you do anything this stupid. We love this sport, don’t be a jackass and ruin it for the rest of us.

FACE PROTECTION: It is highly recommended that you employ face protection of some kind when on the field of play, paintball masks work great in this respect. Tooth injuries including chipped, broken, or knocked out teeth can occur without proper protection, as well as soft tissue injuries (lips, noses, and ears are particularly vulnerable), Many fields require full face protection for participants under the age of 18. Event coordinators should be explicit in advertising events if face protection will be required to play and whether or not minors will be required to wear face protection when adults may go without.

NON-PARTICIPANTS: Anyone who steps foot on the field of play is required to abide by the same rules of eye and face protection as participants. Photography, video production, and event crew are not exempt from the laws of physics and need to be fully protected from stray BBs and blind fire. If any unprotected non-participant is spotted on the field during the match, players should call “CEASE FIRE, CIVILIAN” immediately and the game should be suspended until the person can be removed from the field of play.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Airsoft is a high impact sport often played in wilderness areas. Minor hazards are always possible in play and players should protect themselves as they see fit from any of the following, cuts, scrapes, bruises, abrasions, sprained ankles, broken bones, exposure to poison ivy, poison oak, biting ants, mosquitoes, ticks, bees, wasps, hornets, and other animals native to the playing field. Wearing heavy long sleeve shirts, long pants, and rugged boots with full ankle support is highly recommended.

“REAL STEEL” FIREARMS, KNIVES, EXPLOSIVES: “Real steel” firearms, combat knives and explosives should be explicitly banned from airsoft events. Event coordinators should be clear that real weapons are not acceptable in any area of airsoft events because of possible confusion with replica weapons. Rules on fireworks should be determined in advance by event coordinators, most events will not allow them, some events will only allow them if provided by the event coordinators (smoke grenades, flares, etc.).

NOTE: Common sense is the most important factor in safety during an airsoft event. A word of advice: don’t do anything stupid, don’t get angry or violent, don’t push your body beyond its normal limits, and don’t take unnecessary risks. Just remember that a broken ankle is going to hurt a hell of a lot worse than getting hit by a couple of 6mm BBs. It’s just a game after all.

Additional safety guides can be found here and here.