I admit I thought long and hard about these "guns" before giving the nod. Checked with the Police about any issues they might have and the reaction was along the lines of "Air-what?" Explained about them being replicas, often, of real weapons (M16 and the like) and how they worked (rechargeable battery and little plastic pellets) and they said "Oh, that's alright then, it's a toy, but we'd rather not see it being carried around in public".
That went without saying anyway; strict instructions about where it can and can't be taken and about treating it like a real weapon - i.e. never pointed at anyone whether loaded or not, stored out of sight, hidden when younger kids are around. He understands the reasons and we don't have a problem with him / it. With a bit of luck he'll grow out of it in a year or two.
It was a good exercise in some senses because he ended up writing three letters to Alastair Carmichael in relation to the Violent Crimes Reduction Bill which proposed bans which would have included Airsoft. Good letters, too
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