Ontario, like much of Canada and the United States, has laws in place to regulate the use of paintball guns. Paintball guns are typically considered to be firearms and proper safety and precautions must be taken to prevent serious injury. These paintball gun laws are vital information for all paintball enthusiasts in Ontario, Canada.
Firearm
Firearms are devices that shoot projectiles through the air with the use of gasses. Paintball guns use CO2 or compressed air to shoot paintballs, often at a very high velocity. Although not all governments categorize paintball guns as firearms, Ontario law dictates that paintball guns are indeed firearms. This subjects paintball guns to many of the same laws that rifles and pistols have.
Purchasing Paintballs
Because paintball guns are considered to be firearms in Ontario, the sale of paintballs is heavily regulated. Customers must be at least 18 years old and show valid identification to purchase paintballs and real gun ammunition. Also, only certain stores are allowed to sell paintballs.
Types of Paintball Guns
The standard size paintball that most paintball guns shoot is .68 caliber. All paintball guns that shoot this size paintball are legal in Ontario. However, certain paintball guns shoot other sizes of paintballs. Any paintball gun that resembles a real gun that shoots any size of paintball other than .68 caliber is illegal in Ontario. These guns are illegal to import into Canada as well as use.
Vandalism
Using paintballs to vandalize property is illegal in Ontario. Paintball gun users are not allowed to shoot at public property or the property of others, unless they have permission such as in the case of playing paintball in the woods. Shooting targets such as houses, street signs, buildings and vehicles is strictly prohibited. Violation of these laws can result in serious fines and even jail time.
Shooting People
Shooting people that have not consented to the game of paintball is a serious offense in Ontario. This is considered assault and is considered a serious violation of the law, even if the shooting is an accident. Punishments can become even more severe if the shooting results in an injury. Penalties include fines and or jail time.
Safety
When playing paintball in Ontario, it is essential to wear proper protection. Also, never shoot at someone that is not properly wearing a paintball mask. A paintball mask should completely cover the face and the plastic lens should be free of cracks. If injury results from shooting someone who is not properly protected, the shooter can face legal trouble. This can range from assault charges to civil lawsuits.
Air Sources
Paintball guns use either bottled compressed air or CO2. Compressed air tanks must be checked either every three years or every five years, depending on the model, to make sure they are safe. Both compressed air and CO2 bottles must be filled using the proper equipment and cannot be filled past their limit. Not only would this create a dangerous situation, but it is illegal to fill an air tank to an unsafe level.
References
Writer Bio
Adam Smith has been freelance writing since the start of 2010. He mostly writes automotive, culinary and sports articles for eHow. Smith also works as a research assistant in the health and aging field. He is currently a student in a Masters of Public Administration program at West Virginia University, where he already received a bachelor's degree in criminology.
