If the proposal to have brightly colored BB guns gets implemented, airsoft players going to and from within the city of Los Angeles, California, will soon either face the choice of being prosecuted for refusing to do so, or would rather move out of the city to play elsewhere. We wonder what the effect of this proposed ordinance or city law on airsoft business located within the city boundaries, if there are any.

In a report by Daily News Los Angeles that was forwarded to us by our reader, Ravishing Rick Dude, the news website reports that the city council voted 14-1 to direct the City Attorney's Office draft the measure. Of the lone objection, one Councilman, Bernard Parks, stated that brightly colored guns may provide a false sense of security to police officers. His apprehension is due to the fact the real firearms can also be colored bright, and there are many firearms in the market which do sport bright colors, especially firearms marketed to females.

Once in effect, it only applies to the city of Los Angeles. The council wants to put such city law due to police shootings years ago that involved BB guns or air pistol.

Why can the City of  Los Angeles implement such law for their locality? If you all remember, Governor Brown signed SB1315 that was proposed by State Senator Kevin De Leon, granting exemption to the County of Los Angeles, or any city within the County, to approve and enforce local ordinances that "is more restrictive than state law regulating the manufacture, sale, possession, or use of any BB device, toy gun, replica of a firearm, or other device that meets both of the following requirements:

1. The device is so substantially similar in coloration and overall appearance to an existing firearm as to lead a reasonable person to perceive that the device is a firearm.

2. The device expels a projectile that is no more than 16 millimeters in diameter."

SB1315 took effect last 1 January 2013, but nothing happened yet since such exemption will only work if the city councils within the County of Los Angeles enact their own laws to implement SB1315. Once the City of Los Angeles approves the ordinance, other cities within the county can follow suit, until the whole LA County is a no-go zone for airsoft players and businesses to that effect.

This also poses a problem for airsoft players transiting through a no-go zone towards an airsoft game in an area where airsoft guns not brightly colored are allowed when they're stopped by police. Airsoft associations such as the Airsoft Safety Foundation should fight for some exemptions, such as the transit situation as long as the airsoft guns are concealed and cannot be seen by the general public.

If airsoft players are just fine with bright colored airsoft guns to play within the city, then they can just purchase 2-tone airsoft guns. We wonder if criminals would start painting their firearms too.