NY Bills Would Restrict BB, Pellet, and Air Guns (S9215/A10701)

Two bills introduced in the New York Legislature in early 2026 (S9215 on February 17, 2026 and A10701 on March 20, 2026) would significantly restrict the sale and possession of BB guns, pellet guns, and air guns in the state. Senate Bill S9215 and its Assembly companion A10701 would effectively ban functional, realistically styled air guns from private ownership.^[1]

What the Bills Would Do

The bills propose to reclassify functional BB guns, pellet guns, and air guns as "imitation firearms" under New York law and impose the following restrictions:

• Bright coloring requirement: All air guns would be required to bear a highly visible bright coloring that prevents them from being mistaken for a real firearm.
• Age restriction: Purchase of any air gun would be restricted to persons age 18 or older.
• Functional capability prohibition: The bills would ban air guns capable of firing projectiles, effectively targeting all standard BB guns and pellet guns.
• Reclassification: By reclassifying functional air guns under the imitation weapons framework, the bills would subject them to New York's existing regulations on imitation pistols and revolvers.

Current Law

New York Penal Law Section 265.10 addresses imitation pistols but currently exempts functional air guns from the strictest imitation-weapons provisions. Under current law, the most significant restriction on air guns involves carrying them in public in a manner that could cause alarm. Retailers may sell functional air guns without state-level age restrictions (though some localities have enacted additional rules). No state law currently requires bright coloring of air guns.^[2]

Background

The bills respond to concerns about incidents involving air guns that resemble real firearms. Proponents argue that bright coloring requirements and functional restrictions would reduce dangerous encounters where law enforcement or bystanders mistake an air gun for a live firearm. Critics contend that the bills would effectively ban a class of sporting equipment used for target shooting, pest control, and recreational activity without meaningful public safety benefit, and that a functional ban would be impossible to apply retroactively to the large number of air guns already in circulation.

Current Status

S9215 and A10701 were introduced in April 2026 and referred to their respective committees. No hearing date has been scheduled. The bills have not been voted on in either chamber.^[3]

What to Watch

New York already has some of the nation's most restrictive laws on imitation firearms. Whether the Legislature will extend those restrictions to the broader category of functional air guns is uncertain. BB gun, pellet gun, and air rifle owners should monitor committee action on these bills. If enacted, questions about existing inventory, compliance timelines, and retroactive application would require legislative clarification.