You'll shoot your eye out kid!

January 22, 2009 1:14 PM

Where can I go to purchase a Red Ryder BB Gun? The sale of BB guns are apparently restricted in New York and New Jersey so ordering one online and having it shipped won't work.

This is a gift. I have no one who lives outside of these two states to ship it to and I'm on a tight deadline. Where's the closest store I can get one from?

posted by anonymous to sports, hobbies, & recreation (11 comments total)

Just wanted to make sure you knew that, in New Jersey at least, you need a license to own a BB gun. That's why you're having such a hard time getting one. I hope the giftee has said license.

That being said, I do remember seeing airguns for sale at Wal Mart in upstate New York. If you're in NYC, a trip north might help you.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:31 PM on January 22

The law is here...
http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/info/pdf/firearms/njac-title13-ch54.pdf

It says you have to have a firearms license to own one. What asshat thought that up?
posted by Gungho at 1:39 PM on January 22

Where to buy guide from Daisy, the manufacturer. Sadly, it's terribly designed, but you can see if there's anything nearby.

Perhaps you can take a trip this weekend to CT or PA or DE?

Please note that I am not advocating breaking any local laws. After all, you'll put your eye out. Sorry, I couldn't help it.
posted by JMOZ at 1:55 PM on January 22

Also, from this online retailer which I found on the "Where to buy":

"It's up to YOU to know the laws in your state, county and city and to fully comply with them. The following are examples of some state and local restrictions governing airguns and airsoft guns: Airguns are restricted in: New York City, NY, its boroughs (Zip Codes 100xx-104xx and 111-114xx, 116xx), New Jersey, Michigan (certain products restricted but not all), Chicago IL and Washington DC."

Are you feeling lucky? Well? Are ya'?
posted by JMOZ at 1:59 PM on January 22

You can definitely buy one in CT...well in MOST CT towns. Back some years ago I was with my father to get one as a birthday present so we stopped at a local "gun superstore". We were told by the guy that worked there that the town wouldn't allow them to sell air rifles/bb guns but that we could walk out the door with a Chinese or Russian made assault rifle for around 150$.
posted by Captain_Science at 2:02 PM on January 22

I've never been in a WalMart that didn't carry BB guns.
posted by COD at 3:01 PM on January 22

If the recipient lives in Jersey you think about a different gift. They put people in jail for possessing BB guns.
posted by caddis at 3:26 PM on January 22

dropped this - "might want to"
posted by caddis at 3:27 PM on January 22

As people have pointed out, they're classed as firearms in NJ and require all of the ridiculous NJ licensing. God, what a shitty state. So if you live in NJ, while I'm answering your question, I'm not endorsing this course of action in the slightest. You and the giftee can literally wind up in jail. God, what a shitty state.

I can't find anything about New York State banning them, although the city and its burroughs outlaw airguns. Anecdotal evidence from friends seems to imply that people could get them in upstate New York.

Anyway, go to PA. Any town outside of Philly or its suburbs will have a WalMart that sells the Red Ryder. Philly outlaws all airguns (even paintball and airsoft guns), although that didn't seem to keep every 12 year old thug wannabe in my neighborhood from having an arsenal of them.

we could walk out the door with a Chinese or Russian made assault rifle for around 150$.

No, you could walk out the door with a Chinese- or Russian-made rifle that bears a cosmetic resemblance to an assault rifle and perhaps shares some parts and components. Assault rifle == full auto, and automatic weapons have a long and expensive transfer process--and must have been manufactured before 1986 if you're an individual civilian.
posted by Netzapper at 3:35 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

FWIW, if you find a jurisdiction that sells them, I have seen them at Wal Mart.
posted by gjc at 6:21 PM on January 22

FWIW the law as quoted above states ...an air gun, spring gun or pistol or other weapon of a similar nature in which the propelling force is a spring, elastic band, carbon dioxide, compressed or other gas, or vapor, air or compressed air, or is ignited by compressed air, and ejecting a bullet or missile smaller than three-eighths of an inch in diameter, with sufficient force to injure a person.


You could argue that a welt on the skin is not an injury that a 'firearm' would cause
posted by Gungho at 6:08 AM on January 23