Weapons Act

The Swiss Weapons Act and Airsoft

Airsoft guns (officially "soft-air weapons" in Swiss law) qualify as weapons under the Weapons Act - but explicitly NOT as firearms. This section shows which WG/WV articles apply to the airsoft sport, and which deliberately do not.

Important legal notice

This is not legal advice. The information on this website is for informational purposes only. For legal questions, contact your cantonal weapons office, fedpol, or the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG). Laws and ordinances may change - always check the current legal texts on admin.ch.

Official sources

Translation in progress

This page was machine-translated from the German original and may contain inaccuracies. The German version and the official legal text on admin.ch always take precedence.

Legal classification as a weapon

Soft-air, imitation and blank-firing guns qualify as weapons under Art. 4 para. 1 lit. g WG "if they can be confused with real firearms". Art. 6 WV clarifies: "confusable" means anything that "at first glance resembles a real firearm - regardless of whether an expert can identify the confusability after brief examination".

Weapon - not firearm

Airsoft guns are weapons in the legal sense, but not firearms. This has wide-ranging consequences: no weapons acquisition permit, no European Firearms Pass, no carry permit for club events.

Not covered by the WG are soft-air guns that are obviously transparent at first glance, and obvious toy weapons that a layperson immediately recognises as toys (fedpol leaflet "Trade in imitation, blank-firing and soft-air weapons").

What does NOT apply in Switzerland

No 0.5-joule threshold in Switzerland

The German 0.5-joule rule has no relevance in Switzerland. According to BAZG (Federal Office for Customs and Border Security) and fedpol, all airsoft guns are weapons under Art. 4 para. 1 WG - regardless of muzzle energy.

•No weapons acquisition permit (WES) required - Art. 10 para. 1 lit. e WG
•No European Firearms Pass required
•No carry permit for courses, exercises and events of soft-air weapon clubs - Art. 27 para. 4 lit. c WG in conjunction with Art. 28 para. 1 lit. a WG
•No central federal registration requirement (cantonal reporting duties may exist)

What DOES apply

•Minimum age 18 for acquisition and possession - Art. 8 para. 2 WG
•Written transfer contract on every change of ownership (including private) - Art. 11 WG; retain in duplicate for 10 years
•Secure storage - Art. 26 WG, Art. 47 WV
•Concealed transport, unloaded, by the direct route - Art. 28 WG, Art. 51 WV
•Use only on authorised, fenced-off grounds - Art. 27 para. 4 lit. c WG
•Bans on certain accessories (real silencers, weapon-mounted laser/IR/night vision) - Art. 4 para. 2 lit. b WG, Art. 5 para. 2 lit. c WG
•Acquisition exclusion for persons from blocked states and with certain prior convictions - Art. 7 WG, Art. 12 WV

Overview of relevant articles

Article	Content	Meaning for airsoft
Art. 4 para. 1 lit. g WG	Soft-air guns as weapons	WG applies
Art. 4 para. 2 lit. b WG	Weapon accessories	Ban on mountable lasers/IR/NV
Art. 5 para. 2 lit. c WG	Banned components	Functional silencers prohibited
Art. 6 WV	Confusability	Definition of "resembling a real firearm"
Art. 7 WG / Art. 12 WV	Acquisition bans	Blocked states, prior convictions
Art. 8 para. 2 WG	Minimum age	18 years
Art. 10 para. 1 lit. e WG	WES exemption	No acquisition permit
Art. 11 WG	Transfer	Written contract, 10 years
Art. 11a WG / Art. 23 WV	Minors	Loan contract possible
Art. 26 WG / Art. 47 WV	Storage	Protect from unauthorised access
Art. 27 para. 4 lit. c WG	Carrying	No carry permit for club events
Art. 28 WG / Art. 51 WV	Transport	Concealed, unloaded, direct route
Art. 28 para. 1 lit. a WG	Carrying (supplement)	Complements 27 para. 4 lit. c

Reporting duty and public space

Imitation and soft-air weapons are reportable under the Weapons Act. Carrying them in public is forbidden and punishable (see City of Zurich weapons-law flyer).

In public = only in a transport case

Outside your home, an airsoft gun may only be transported concealed, unloaded, in a suitable closed bag/case - by the direct route from home to playing field, shop or technician. Visibly carrying or handling it in public can trigger a police intervention - in the worst case with deadly consequences, because officers cannot distinguish between a real and an imitation gun.

Official sources

•Weapons Act (WG, SR 514.54): fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1998/2535_2535_2535/de
•Weapons Ordinance (WV, SR 514.541): fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2008/767/de
•fedpol leaflet on trade in imitation, blank-firing and soft-air weapons: fedpol.admin.ch
•BAZG / fedpol weapons information leaflet: bazg.admin.ch
•fedpol - Practical information, weapons category: fedpol.admin.ch/de/praktische-informationen