How to obtain a license (permit) for an air gun?

Some types of pneumatic weapons can be stored and, moreover, used only with the appropriate permission - a license.

It is impossible to bypass the procedure for obtaining a license; other approaches are considered illegal and will only lead to serious disastrous consequences.

Pneumatics are in great demand in Russia, as there are many models that are copies of military weapons. Every person wants to protect themselves, because pneumatics can have a psychological effect. In addition, the cost of an air pistol compared to its combat counterpart is extremely low.

However, before we provide an algorithm of actions that an ordinary citizen must implement in order to obtain a permit for a pneumatic weapon, we will find out which pneumatic weapon requires permitting documents.

What air guns require a license?

Article 13 of the Federal Law “On Weapons” divides pneumatics according to shot energy and caliber. Pistols and rifles with a power value of up to 3 J are subject to free sale, as they are products that are structurally similar to weapons. In fact, these are “toys”.

There are no caliber restrictions, but sometimes buyers of pre-pumped rifles (PCP) in caliber 6.35 mm and above are required to provide a license to the seller. In other cases, a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation is sufficient.

Pneumatics with a muzzle value in the range of 3-7.5 J and a barrel diameter not exceeding 4.5 mm do not require a purchase license. The owner of such a device can be a person over 18 years of age. The seller is provided with an identification card.

A citizen will have to obtain a license for pneumatic weapons from 7.5 J, or if the caliber exceeds 4.5 mm. The permitted age for purchasing such models is 18 years or older. The seller is provided with a license, identification card, as well as an additional document - a sports passport or hunting license.

Algorithm for obtaining permission

You will have to think about obtaining permits even before purchasing a pneumatic gun. If you do not use sellers, but go to a gun store, then they will not sell you powerful pneumatics without permission to purchase.

Having decided to purchase a weapon, even a pneumatic one, you will need to choose the most suitable model. To do this, a potential buyer must clearly define for himself why he needs a revolver? Will it be a pistol or a shotgun? Which models should be preferred?

Individuals purchase pneumatic weapons, as a rule, for self-defense, for sports, and less often for hunting. A permit for a high muzzle energy air rifle can be obtained using the same algorithm as a pistol, so we will describe the general plan of action. Without experience in handling weapons, it will be difficult to make the right choice, so it is better to take the advice of comrades who are more knowledgeable in this matter.

Rules and procedure for obtaining a license

How to get a license for an air gun? Having chosen the “air”, you need to draw up and send an application for registration to the local LRO (licensing and permitting department). This can be done by contacting the department in person, or remotely through the State Services portal.

A citizen must have with him a package of required documents:

General passport or its notarized copy.
Certificate 046-1 with medical reports.
A document confirming completed training on the safe handling of the aircraft (in some cases not required).
Photo 3x4 cm.
Receipt of payment of state duty.

A hunting license will be required when purchasing the appropriate pneumatic gun. The document can be obtained at the regional MFC, or on the State Services portal.

The application review period is 10 days. If the notification is positive, the citizen is given 2 weeks to come to the licensing department for a document to purchase the “aircraft”.

The issuance of a permit will be refused if:

the citizen has not reached the required age;
no honey provided certificate, or there are contraindications to owning an aerial vehicle;
a conviction for grave or especially grave offenses involving the use of weapons has not been removed or expunged;
the person is serving a prison sentence;
over the past year, a citizen has been brought to administrative responsibility for violating public order, hunting rules, or for trafficking in narcotic drugs;
no registration;
a certificate of successful completion of training in safe handling of a rifle or pistol has not been provided;
a citizen is prohibited by a court decision from purchasing any types of weapons;
the person is registered in a psychoneurological or city drug treatment clinic;
the applicant for the purchase of the device was brought to administrative responsibility for using prohibited drugs without a doctor’s prescription (until the restrictions were lifted).

The license may be revoked in the event of voluntary renunciation or death of the owner. Other reasons are a court decision, changes in the law.

Features of drawing up an application

Everyone has probably noticed that the statement has a certain structure. The upper right part indicates which department the request is being sent to. It is also necessary to indicate the last name, first name and patronymic of the head of this department. An obligatory point is an indication of the applicant himself.

The main part of the application indicates what type of weapon the permit will be issued for. A distinctive feature of the application for pneumatics is that in the text of the main part you should indicate what type of weapon (hunting or sporting) you are planning to buy.

The permit implies the acquisition of the weapon element itself, as well as the cartridges suitable for it. Do not confuse a purchase permit with a weapons license, which requires several more steps to obtain.

Cost of obtaining a license

How much does an airgun license cost? The total amount is affected by the chosen method - visiting the LRO or using the State Services website.

Estimated costs for obtaining a license for an air gun:

Photos 3x4 – 250 rubles.
Psychiatrist’s note – 400 rubles.
The results of a chemical-toxicological analysis of urine and a mark from a narcologist - 1,500 rubles.
Honey. certificate – 400 rubles.
Safe – 4,000 rubles or more (depending on size).
Completing the training course and passing the exam costs 5,000 rubles (approximate price).
State duty – 2000 rubles. When paying through Gosuslugi, a citizen receives a 30% discount.

As a result, the estimated costs will be 12950-13550 rubles. The service for issuing a hunting license is free, but you will need to take a photo with a reserve. It is advisable to make a photocopy of your passport in advance. The total amount will change slightly.

Where can you legally shoot pneumatic guns?

Federal Law No. 150 lists pneumatic equipment as an acceptable weapon for acquiring sports shooting and hunting skills with the permission of law enforcement agencies. Use in self-defense is prohibited. Most often, self-defense with pneumatics not only violates the law, but is also ineffective - the shot has a weak power. But under certain conditions, serious harm to the body can be caused, and this refers to exceeding the rules of self-defense.

Taking into account the above, we can summarize that there are only two possible areas of use:

Hunting for small birds and animals. Regulations of the Russian Government of 2009 No. 18.
Shooting at targets made of paper or field target.

Is it possible to shoot with pneumatic guns in the city?

Pneumatics are equipment for acquiring sports shooting skills, that is, their use must be carried out in special places. They are considered shooting ranges, firing ranges, shooting ranges, places for clay pigeon shooting, which belong to institutions of any kind of activity that have received permission from the municipal authorities. That is, shooting in city limits with pneumatic guns is illegal.

Is it possible to shoot with pneumatic guns in the forest?

The latest edition of the "Hunting Rules", which dates back to this year, contains the main points of the hunting rules. The use of hunting pneumatics is prohibited, “except for shooting chipmunks, squirrels, crows, hazel grouse, and doves.” Thus, you can only shoot with a pneumatic weapon at the above-mentioned birds and mammals.

It is worth emphasizing that even if you are just walking in the woods with a BB gun and are caught without a gun license, it can end quite sadly. There is only one thing that will help if the rifle is in a case and the cartridges are separate from it. By the way, we must not forget that when going out into the forest to hunt with any type of weapon, you must have with you: a hunter’s certificate, permission to store and use a gun, permission to hunt in specific areas (permit).

In addition, it is necessary to carefully select the place directly for hunting - taking into account the same “Rules”, hunting with air guns less than 250 meters from residential buildings is strictly prohibited. Do not forget - in this case there will be no concessions for the fact that this is not a “gunshot wound” - if you fail to comply with any established rules, you must answer according to the law.

Otherwise, it could be even more serious - since it will be very difficult to prove that there are a lot of chipmunks in the forest and they are hunted, and that several pheasants are sticking out of the backpack that a stranger asked me to help carry.

Other shooting locations

Based on the rules provided for at the legislative level, shooting with pneumatic weapons is permitted only in places that meet all safety standards.

These places must belong to institutions that have received permission from law enforcement agencies, where all safety requirements have been developed and met.

Despite the fact that most people are confident that air rifles or pistols are safe, taking into account statistics, many more people die from their use, unlike military weapons.

Do I need to register licensed pneumatics?

How to obtain a permit for an air gun? The citizen appears at the police station no later than 14 days from the date of purchase. Submits an application for the execution of a document giving the right to carry and store the air gun. The owner also pays a state fee of 500 rubles. It is recommended that you complete the steps remotely.

The district police officer checks the availability of a place suitable for keeping the device. The owner will need to undergo short training on the rules of use, storage and transportation of the purchased unit. If everything is in order, then the owner takes the document to the police department. Its validity period is 5 years. The permit can be extended upon request.

At what age can you buy and use pneumatic guns?

The law clearly states: air guns can be purchased, stored, and carried in compliance with the established rules. The requirements for its use are also outlined. In fact, anyone who has the strength to lift, aim, and pull the trigger can use an air gun. But a person can only bear responsibility for this, as well as fall within the limits of legislative regulation, from the age of 18.

In some circles, especially in online communities, there are rumors about the ability to carry and use pneumatic weapons from the age of 16. This is a completely fictitious version. The source of its appearance is a highly controversial Ukrainian bill, where neither the types of weapons nor the limits of their characteristics are clearly defined. There is only one rule in Russia: to buy an air pistol you must be 18 years old . As well as being able to carry, store and use it.

Responsibility for using pneumatics without permits

Air pistols and rifles with a shot energy of more than 7.5 J are prohibited from being purchased without a license. The use and storage of a purchased “air balloon” without the appropriate permission is also illegal.

If a violation is discovered, the owner of the device will face a fine of 3,000-5,000 rubles, followed by confiscation of the unit and its ammunition. Or, by court decision, the person will serve an administrative sentence of up to 15 days.

The owner may be held liable under Art. 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for the purchase and maintenance of certain pneumatic devices.

The legislation determines that pneumatics must be used for their intended purpose:

sports type - for training, competitions on dedicated shooting areas;
hunting type - for conducting permitted hunting.

Punishment for using pistols and rifles for other purposes is determined based on the type of offense and the consequences. According to Art. 20.13 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, for shooting in the wrong place, the owner of the “aircraft” will face a penalty of 100,000 rubles. If people are injured when using pneumatic guns (injury to health, death due to negligence or intentional murder), then a criminal case is initiated.

How does an air gun differ from a traumatic gun?

It’s quite simple to say in one sentence how an air pistol differs from a traumatic one - these are two different types of weapons. And the main difference between them is the muzzle energy of the bullet and the stopping effect of the ammunition. There are several other characteristics in which pneumatics are not similar to traumatic ones.

Energy source

An air pistol is a device with its own energy source, independent of ammunition. Roughly speaking, the total volume of gas under pressure in most cases does not correlate in any way with the number of bullets in the magazine. Pistols are divided into classes:

compression, to fire which you need to cock the piston spring;
multi-compression, allowing you to vary the pressure in the working chamber or fire several shots after pumping the gas volume;
gas cylinders, which have a limited supply of working fluid in a replaceable container;
pre-pumping, operating with a significant volume of gas under high pressure in a container;
cartridge pumping, supplying the working fluid directly into the cartridge case with a valve.

When using an air gun, a situation may arise when there is a supply of bullets, but it is not possible to fire a shot with normal characteristics. Trauma is not capable of this. This is a weapon with an external power source. The driving force of the expanding gas is generated in the ammunition casing. Thus, a traumatic pistol is a firearm with reduced power characteristics and specially designed types of bullets.

Muzzle energy of a bullet

Modern air pistols can provide muzzle energy of up to 25 Joules. In traumatology this parameter is much higher. Legislatively, it will be described later why, the upper limit for the muzzle energy of a bullet is set at 40 Joules.

Features and nature of the action of the bullet

Pneumatics shoot metal bullets of 0.22 caliber, that is, 4.5 mm. This can be a mold made of fairly soft lead or balls made of a magnetic non-corrosion alloy. Such a bullet is not capable of penetrating deep into human tissue, especially considering the upper limit of its energy of 25 J. The stopping effect of the ammunition is small.

In traumatic bullets, the bullet is a rubber mold with a metal core inside. This is done to search for ammunition in the human body on an x-ray. The diameter of traumatic bullets is large. Depending on the class of cartridge, from 9-10 to 15.3 mm. With the large mass of the bullet and its high muzzle energy, it has a significant impact in the area of impact. Trauma has enormous stopping power.

Important! Today, the capabilities of traumatic weapons are limited by law. It is allowed to sell ammunition with an upper limit of muzzle energy of a bullet of 40 Joules. Technical solutions for pistols are developed accordingly and materials are selected. When fired with a high-power cartridge, the weapon will simply deteriorate.

The reason for this limitation was the excessive traumatism of standard 18x45 ammunition with a bullet diameter of 15.3 mm and an energy of 85 J. When fired at point-blank range, for example, from a short-barreled OSA, the target’s bones were broken even under thick clothing. Ammunition with an energy of 85 J became the cause of death when a bullet hit the skull. Therefore, today all large-caliber wounds sold are designed for a bullet muzzle energy limit of 40 Joules, and only corresponding ammunition is allowed for them.

The exception is products from Chinese manufacturers. They make replicas of the most convenient to carry OSA pistol without compromising the strength of the components, and supply standard cartridges for it with a muzzle energy of 85 J. However, the use of such weapons is prohibited by law.

Self-defense mechanics

Anyone can understand how to use traumatism. You need to point the muzzle at the attacker, remove the pistol from the safety and press the trigger. In this case, it is advisable to aim at sensitive areas. For example, massive muscles, collarbones, ribs, hips. The attacker is guaranteed severe pain and difficulty moving. It is precisely this simple mechanics of use that models of traumatic pistols that fire a pair of bullets at once are designed for. They fire with a vertical spread of up to 50 cm to inflict two or a guaranteed one hit on the enemy.

With an air pistol everything is more complicated. His bullet will, with luck, go under the skin. However, there will be no blocking pain, as well as restrictions on the enemy’s movement. Shooting somewhere at the attacker’s body will not achieve a significant result. You need to hit key points, pain centers or movement mechanics. These are the eyes, Adam's apple, kneecaps, bridge of the nose. However, after a cold-blooded execution, the court will most likely side with the attacker. The owner of the pneumatic gun will be charged with exceeding the permissible limits of self-defense. Even if he has permission to carry and all the necessary documents for weapons.

Therefore, gas and other pistols are only suitable for truly critical situations. For example, when the attacker has already succeeded, the victim is beaten or injured. Then you can resort to cold-blooded defeat of strategically important points on the enemy’s body. But the chances of an opportunity to both open fire and act adequately are extremely small.

Once a person understands this, pneumatics are effectively used for only one type of self-defense: dispersing aggressive stray animals. To some extent, realistic-looking BB guns, replicas of military firearms, can deter attackers. But it is foolish to hope for this.

Is it possible to use a pistol or rifle in the city?

The law prohibits the use of an air pistol or rifle, regardless of power, within city limits. Even if it is an “air gun” with a muzzle energy of no more than 3 J, the Civil Code of the Russian Federation is additionally applicable to Federal Law No. 150. Thus, if at the time of the shooting in the city the owner caused physical or material damage to any person, he will be obliged to compensate for it.

Specially designated areas in parks that are practically not visited by people are allowed for shooting. City authorities usually allocate such areas for shooting sports competitions. In other cases, air guns cannot be used.

Further actions

After a citizen purchases a weapon, he must take care of purchasing a safe in which the weapon can be stored safely. Next, you will need to pay a receipt, which is issued by the licensing and permitting department for payment of the state fee. The size of this state duty depends on the number of weapons and is always very small. For one unit of pneumatics you will need to pay only ten rubles.

Gun safe Gun safe

After the paid receipt is returned to the LRO staff, they issue the applicant with a permit. To obtain a permit, you only need to have a passport and a license (if you already have one).

In some cases, while the employees are considering the application, the applicant is visited by a local police officer - in order to make sure that the purchased weapon will be in safe conditions (which is why it is advisable to purchase a safe in advance). Based on the inspection, the district police officer will draw up a report, which will be taken into account by the licensing and permitting department when issuing a permit.

As a final step before receiving a license, the applicant answers questions from the commission on the technique of using weapons

During the final meeting with LRO staff, the applicant will be asked to answer several security questions on the safe storage and use of weapons (in this case, air guns). After successfully passing the test, the citizen can only wait for a letter in which LRO employees will send a notification that he is allowed to purchase and use pneumatics.

Muzzle energy as the main indicator

In order to understand whether you can carry an air pistol with you, you need to know what category of air guns it belongs to. Moreover, for this there is no need to dive deeply into technical details. You just need to know one single number - the muzzle energy of a particular sample. It is this parameter that determines whether an air pistol can be carried without permission, or whether it must be officially registered and obtain documents.

The Weapons Law identifies four main categories of air guns.

How the license works

One license is issued strictly for one weapon. Accordingly, a person will not be able to have one license and, for example, five pistols. Moreover, each license has a limited validity period of six months. If the gun owner's license is expired, certain sanctions will be imposed on him. One of these sanctions is the inability to renew a license (and therefore own a weapon) for the entire next year.

You can read below about how to renew your weapons license online through the State Services website.

Renewing a weapons license through the Gosuluga website

What harm can be done to human health?

Depending on the type of weapon used and the distance, a shot can cause serious damage to human life and health:

eye damage can lead to complete blindness or brain damage, resulting in death
a shot to the chest area can damage the ribs and cause a heart attack or stroke
neck lesions may cause swelling or bleeding
a shot in the groin area, in addition to damaging organs, can cause painful shock
Shot to any part of the body can cause skin damage and bleeding
damage to the temporal region of the head will cause brain damage, which can lead to the death of the victim

Pneumatic weapons cause quite a lot of damage; using them against people is strictly prohibited.

The situation in other CIS countries

Many pneumatic connoisseurs are interested in whether it is possible to freely carry an air pistol in neighboring countries. Despite the fact that weapons legislation in the post-Soviet space is quite similar to that in different countries, since it is based on a single Soviet model, it is gradually evolving and begins to differ from Russia. We found out whether it is possible to carry an air pistol in Russia. What about our neighbors? Let us pay attention to the two countries that cooperate most closely with Russia – Belarus and Kazakhstan.