California Considers Pink BB Gun Bill

California is on its way to passing legislature that would make pink BB guns a lot more popular.

Senate Bill 798 requires “the entire exterior surface” of every BB gun, air gun and airsoft gun sold in the Golden State to be “white, bright red, bright orange, bright yellow, bright green, bright blue, bright pink, or bright purple, either singly or as the predominant color in combination with other colors in any pattern.”

The bill has quietly crossed two important hurdles–a Public Safety Committee vote in March and passage by the full two weeks ago Senate–sending it to the State Assembly.

In other words, the bill would mandate that air guns have the appearance of toy and non-shooting replica guns. This fact disturbs the National Rifle Association and other shooting organizations that continually strive to educate shooters–especially young ones–to treat every firearm with respect.

SB 798 is also opposed by many state airsoft gun hobbyist groups and manufacturers, which point out that the guns are used safely and without incident by thousands for re-enactments, skirmishing and maintaining firearm proficiency.

But what has many longtime gun fanciers most concerned about SB 798 is the impact it would have on one of shooting’s most iconic guns, the Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. Introduced in 1939, more than 9 million Daisy Red Ryders have been sold, easily making it the most famous BB gun ever made. For generations, fathers, uncles and grandfathers have looked forward to introducing youngsters to the joys of the shooting sports by presenting them with a natural wood-stocked air rifle.