Laws & Safety · Safety
How dangerous are air guns? Power, injuries and safe handling
Researched by James · Updated September 26, 2026 · Editorial policy
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The injury and death numbers below come from CDC's own MMWR surveillance report and a Pediatrics-published nonpowder-gun study as reported by The Washington Post, both linked in Sources. These are the most complete national datasets publicly available; more recent CPSC/NEISS breakdowns specific to airguns are limited, and the underlying numbers are decades old but remain the standard cited figures. Full methodology & editorial policy →
How many people are actually injured by air guns each year?
CDC's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data from June 1992 to May 1994 estimated approximately 30,000 people treated in U.S. emergency departments annually for BB and pellet gun-related injuries, with children and teenagers 19 and under making up 81% of those cases. A later study using year-2000 data, published in Pediatrics and reported by The Washington Post, put the figure at roughly 21,840 emergency-department-treated injuries a year. The exact number moves depending on the years measured, but both land in the same range: tens of thousands of preventable injuries, most of them to kids, every single year.
Deaths: rare, but real
The same Pediatrics-linked study documented 39 deaths from nonpowder guns in the United States between 1990 and 2000, an average of about 4 deaths a year. Of those 39 deaths, 32 involved children younger than 15. That's a small number next to firearm fatality statistics, and it should be: most BB and pellet guns are genuinely low-powered. But it isn't zero, and the coroners quoted in that reporting specifically flagged that modern BB and pellet guns are far more powerful than the toy-store guns of decades past, with some reaching velocities that produce injuries similar to bullets.
Where the injuries land
| Body part | Share of injuries (CDC, 1992-94 data) |
|---|---|
| Extremities (arms, legs, hands) | 54.0% |
| Trunk | 15.4% |
| Face | 14.4% |
| Head/neck | 10.1% |
| Eye | 6.0% |
Eye injuries are the smallest share by count but the most severe by outcome: CDC data found 37% of hospitalized nonpowder-gun cases involved eye damage, and a separate study on nonpowder-gun eye trauma found injury rates jumped over 500% between 2010 and 2012, driven largely by airsoft and BB guns. An eye doesn't need much energy to be seriously or permanently damaged, which is exactly why eye protection matters at every power level, not just for high-FPE hunting rifles.
How much more powerful is a hunting air rifle?
The injury data above is built mostly from basic BB guns and low-power pellet guns making single-digit to low-double-digit foot-pounds of energy. A hunting-grade PCP air rifle is a different animal entirely: typical hunting PCPs run 12-45 FPE, and a tuned high-end rifle, like my own FX Impact M4 running 40.1gr slugs, can exceed 80 FPE, comparable to some rimfire ammunition. See the full picture in how much FPE do you need and air rifle vs .22 LR for exactly where that energy sits next to a firearm. The takeaway isn't that hunting airguns are uniquely dangerous; it's that "it's just an air rifle" is the wrong mental model for anything built to kill game cleanly at 30-50+ yards.
Why children are overrepresented in the data
CDC data found the highest injury rate was among boys aged 10-14, at over 114 per 100,000 population, and the Pediatrics-linked death study found 32 of 39 deaths over a decade were children under 15. That pattern tracks with who actually uses low-power BB and pellet guns unsupervised, and with how often those guns are handed to a child without the same handling instruction an adult shooter would get. It's not an argument against letting kids shoot air rifles; it's an argument for teaching the rules deliberately and supervising closely before handing one over. See how to teach someone to shoot an air rifle for exactly how to run that first session.
Teaching a first-time shooter: the same four safety rules and backstop discipline covered below, on camera.
The safety rules that prevent almost all of this
- Treat every air gun as if it's loaded and lethal. The injury and death data above exists almost entirely because someone didn't.
- Never point it at anything you're not willing to destroy, including in play, including "it's not even cocked."
- Keep your finger off the trigger until the muzzle is on target and you're ready to fire.
- Know your target and what's behind it. A miss keeps traveling; see how far can a pellet gun shoot for exactly how far past your target that can be.
- Wear impact-rated eye protection, every time, regardless of power level.
- Supervise every child shooter directly until you've personally verified they follow all of the above without reminders.
Verdict
Air guns cause a genuine, measurable toll of injuries and a small but real number of deaths every year in the U.S., mostly to children handling low-power guns without supervision. A hunting-grade PCP air rifle is meaningfully more powerful than the guns behind most of that data. Both facts point to the same conclusion: run every air gun, at every power level, on the same safety rules as a firearm.
FAQ
Can an air rifle actually kill someone?
Yes. A study published in Pediatrics documented 39 deaths from nonpowder guns (BB and pellet guns) in the U.S. between 1990 and 2000, an average of about 4 a year, and 32 of those 39 deaths were children under 15. Modern hunting-grade PCP air rifles carry far more energy than the basic guns behind most of those numbers, some exceeding 80 FPE, which is real, lethal force.
How many people are injured by air guns each year?
CDC surveillance data from the early 1990s estimated roughly 30,000 BB and pellet gun-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments annually, with about 81% of those treated being 19 or younger. A separate Pediatrics study using 2000-era data put the figure closer to 21,840 emergency-department-treated injuries a year. Both point to the same conclusion: tens of thousands of preventable injuries every year from guns often treated as toys.
What part of the body is injured most often by air guns?
CDC data found extremities were hit most often (54%), followed by the trunk (15.4%) and face (14.4%). Eye injuries were less common at 6% of all cases, but far more severe: 37% of hospitalized nonpowder-gun injury cases involved eye damage, and a separate study found eye injuries specifically from BB, pellet, and airsoft guns rose sharply in the early 2010s.
How much energy does it take for a pellet to seriously injure someone?
There's no single hard number, because it depends on range, angle, and what part of the body is hit, but an eye can be seriously injured or destroyed by far less energy than it takes to reliably kill small game. That mismatch is exactly why eye protection is non-negotiable at any airgun power level, not just on high-power hunting rifles.
Are hunting air rifles more dangerous than BB guns?
Per shot, yes, considerably. A basic BB gun or low-power pellet gun might make single-digit foot-pounds of energy, while a hunting-grade PCP air rifle commonly makes 12-45 FPE, and a tuned high-end rifle can exceed 80 FPE, in the range of some rimfire ammunition. Treat any PCP hunting rifle with the same respect and backstop discipline you'd give a firearm.
Do you need eye protection to shoot an air rifle?
Yes, always, for the shooter and anyone nearby. Pellets and BBs can ricochet off hard targets and metal, and an eye injury from a bounce-back is one of the most common serious airgun injuries on record. Impact-rated shooting glasses are cheap insurance against the single worst outcome on this page.
What's the single biggest factor in preventing airgun deaths?
Adult supervision and a solid backstop. The Pediatrics study behind the 39-deaths figure found the overwhelming majority of those killed were children, and most nonpowder-gun deaths and serious injuries trace back to a gun treated as a toy rather than a weapon: no adult supervision, no backstop, and no rule against pointing it at a person. The four safety rules eliminate almost every scenario in the injury data.
Why do air rifle injury numbers look worse for children than adults?
Because children are the primary users of the low-power BB and pellet guns most injury data is built from, and because a child is less likely to have been taught the same handling discipline as an adult shooter. CDC data found the highest injury rate was among boys aged 10-14, and the AAP-linked Pediatrics study found 32 of 39 deaths over a decade were children under 15. That's an argument for early, deliberate safety instruction, not for avoiding air rifles.
Sources
- CDC, MMWR — BB and Pellet Gun-Related Injuries, United States, June 1992-May 1994
- The Washington Post — Study: BB Guns Injure Thousands, Can Be Lethal (reporting the Pediatrics nonpowder-gun study)
- ScienceDaily — Children's eye injuries from nonpowder guns on the rise
- Umarex USA — Understanding foot-pounds of energy (FPE) in airguns
