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Is It a Weapon?
The Georgia school zone law bans any "weapon," which is there defined to include "any pistol or revolver, or any weapon designed or intended to propel a missle of any kind..." O.C.G.A. 16-11-127.1 (a) (2).
Well, a drinking straw with a small bit of moistened paper wadded up in it is obviously an instrument designed to propel a missile. The missle is called a "spitball" and although the straw is not commonly called a blowgun, that's what it is. A miniature blowgun.
But is it a "weapon"? Does this law criminalize possession of an instrument or device that propels a missle, or only a WEAPON that propels a missile?
If the latter, then part of the definition of "weapon" would have to be that it is intended to cause pain and injury to the person struck with it. That is a fundamental characteristic of a weapon.
Does a modern 175 f.p.s. "AirSoft" gun qualify as a "weapon" ?
It can cause pain and bruising. But that's not the point of using them, only an unavoidable consequence if you shoot them at each other in a game similar to paintball. Paintballs, by the way, weigh ten times as much as a little plastic AirSoft 6mm pellet, and they often travel at 300 f.p.s.
I have an old Air Soft pistol, a replica of a M1911, that shoots its pellets at about 400 f.p.s. It was made back in the days before Air Soft guns were intended to be shot at other people in a game. At 400 f.p.s., my gun was intended for plinking and indoor quickdraw practice. It will shoot completely through a soft aluminum beverage can. It will shatter a cheap pair of plastic-lens sunglasses.
The Georgia school zone law bans any "weapon," which is there defined to include "any pistol or revolver, or any weapon designed or intended to propel a missle of any kind..." O.C.G.A. 16-11-127.1 (a) (2).
Well, a drinking straw with a small bit of moistened paper wadded up in it is obviously an instrument designed to propel a missile. The missle is called a "spitball" and although the straw is not commonly called a blowgun, that's what it is. A miniature blowgun.
But is it a "weapon"? Does this law criminalize possession of an instrument or device that propels a missle, or only a WEAPON that propels a missile?
If the latter, then part of the definition of "weapon" would have to be that it is intended to cause pain and injury to the person struck with it. That is a fundamental characteristic of a weapon.
Does a modern 175 f.p.s. "AirSoft" gun qualify as a "weapon" ?
It can cause pain and bruising. But that's not the point of using them, only an unavoidable consequence if you shoot them at each other in a game similar to paintball. Paintballs, by the way, weigh ten times as much as a little plastic AirSoft 6mm pellet, and they often travel at 300 f.p.s.
I have an old Air Soft pistol, a replica of a M1911, that shoots its pellets at about 400 f.p.s. It was made back in the days before Air Soft guns were intended to be shot at other people in a game. At 400 f.p.s., my gun was intended for plinking and indoor quickdraw practice. It will shoot completely through a soft aluminum beverage can. It will shatter a cheap pair of plastic-lens sunglasses.
