Editing Airsoft (section)

== History ==
Airsoft originated<ref>{{Cite web |title=Airsoft Gun History |url=https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/120271/technology/airsoft_gun_history.html |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=www.streetdirectory.com}}</ref> from Japan in the early 1970s, when photographer Ichiro Nagata, an avid shooting enthusiast himself, thought about making model guns that shoot real projectiles that could not kill. These "guns" were trademarked as '''soft air guns''', tailoring to the needs of shooting enthusiasts while conforming to [[Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law|Japan's strict weapons control laws]]. The name "soft air" referred to the compressed [[1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane|Freon]]-[[silicone oil]] mixture (later replaced by a [[propane]]-silicone oil mixture known as "Green Gas") that was used as a propellant gas, which was significantly weaker than the [[Powerlet|canister]]ed [[CO2|{{CO2}}]] used in proper [[airgun]]s ([[pellet gun]]s and [[BB gun]]s). Originally designed for [[target shooting]], the [[airsoft pellet|plastic ball]]s used in these "soft air guns" can be shot at humans [[less lethal|without causing injury]] due to the low [[muzzle energy]]. After [[Tokyo Marui]] introduced its revolutionary [[electric motor]]-[[gear box]] design, which allows sustainable rapid-fire using [[rechargeable batteries]], soft air guns became popular for casual [[MilSim|wargame]]s, which the Japanese call {{nihongo|'''survival games'''|サバイバルゲーム|sabaibaru gēmu}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airsoft-guns-gas-electric-spring.com/airsoft-history-background-of-air-soft-guns.html |title=History and Its Background &#124; Where did Air Soft Come From? |publisher=Airsoft-guns-gas-electric-spring.com |access-date=3 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712235111/http://www.airsoft-guns-gas-electric-spring.com/airsoft-history-background-of-air-soft-guns.html |archive-date=12 July 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Asahi Firearms was a model company from Japan who operated in the 1980s and 90s and was one of the early pioneers of the airsoft hobby.<ref name="history">{{cite web| url = http://arniesairsoft.co.uk/justpistols/history.htm| title =Airsoft History | work = JustPistols|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426220756/http://arniesairsoft.co.uk/justpistols/history.htm|archive-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref>

Airsoft guns spread to the [[United Kingdom]] in the late 1980s and early 1990s via a company called LS. They were sold in separate pieces and had to be assembled out of box before they were capable of shooting. These then became available to the rest of [[Europe]] and [[North America]] and rapidly gained popularity worldwide. Since the mid-1980s, airsoft has been adapted with a purely recreational application in mind, and the sport is enjoyed by all ages. Airsoft replicas are produced globally, with the majority being manufactured in [[East Asia]]. Many [[law enforcement]] agencies and [[military]] units within the [[United States]] now start using airsoft for [[tactical engagement simulation|force-on-force tactical training]] drills.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abbeysupply.com/blog/The_History_of_Airsoft.html|title=The History of Airsoft|date=2 March 2016|publisher=Abbey Supply}}</ref>