When airsoft rifles/guns were first created in Japan, it was originally meant as a means to give the people something they could own and hold, that looked and felt just like real guns. For this reason, most of the airsoft guns were made as replicas of real guns, and looked and felt extremely realistic.
This was basically the next best thing to owning a real gun in japan, and they were perfectly legal, since they could only fire plastic BBs. The fact that airsoft guns can never fire real bullets, or even metal BBs (like with a BB gun), makes them safe to own and operate by virtually anyone.
Shortly after airsoft rifles came about in Japan, the actual sport of airsoft began, which quickly became very popular in other countries, such as Europe, Great Britain, and then the United States, among other places.
Now airsoft is played by people of all sexes and age groups, and there are many different types of games. The types of airsoft games played range anywhere from small skirmishes, to full blown tactical group battles. Sometimes airsoft guns are even used for historical re-enactments as well.
Also, airsoft guns, especially the electric airsoft rifles, are used for real military and police training purposes. Many of the common airsoft rifles used for these purposes are the airsoft M4 rifle, the airsoft AK 47 airsoft gun, 9mm airsoft pistols, and even airsoft sniper rifles.
The tactical gear used for airsoft games is quite diverse. Some of the common items and accessories used in airsoft are: camo face paint, protective airsoft vests, airsoft face masks, tactical throat mics, and more. The sky is pretty much the limit when it comes to airsoft gear.
Airsoft is an easy sport to learn, and can be played by virtually anyone, of practically any age group. Also, the cost of playing airsoft is generally much lower than other comparable sports, such as paintball. This is mainly due to how much cheaper the plastic airsoft BBs are than paintballs, among other things.
