🔫 Are air rifles and airsoft free or weapons in Liechtenstein?

With conditions

Quick answer

Not automatically free — it depends on energy and appearance. Under Art. 3 para. 1 Weapons Act (WaffG, LR 514.1), air and CO₂ weapons count as weapons as soon as they have a muzzle energy of at least 7.5 joules or can be confused with a firearm. Airsoft, imitation and blank-firing weapons are weapons where that risk of confusion exists. Such items are privileged weapons: acquisition runs through a written contract (Art. 18 WaffG) that both sides keep for 10 years, and the buyer must be 18 and free of any disqualifying ground. The myth: „An airsoft or air rifle is just a toy.“ Wrong — a 7.5-joule air rifle is legally a weapon, and so is a realistic-looking airsoft. Switzerland uses the same 7.5-joule threshold in Art. 4 WG — same name, different number.

📋 The rules

The 7.5-joule threshold (Art. 3 para. 1 WaffG): air and CO₂ weapons are weapons if their muzzle energy is at least 7.5 joules or there is a risk of confusion with a firearm. Either one on its own is enough.
Appearance alone can be decisive: airsoft, imitation and blank-firing weapons count as weapons the moment they look deceptively like a real firearm — even below 7.5 joules.
Acquisition by contract, not by permit (Art. 18 WaffG): these privileged weapons are acquired with a written contract that both parties keep for 10 years. The buyer must be 18 and free of the disqualifying grounds (Art. 12 para. 3).
Carrying and shooting are regulated: carrying a weapon in publicly accessible places needs a carry permit (Art. 38); airsoft shooters on secured grounds are exempt. Shooting in public places is restricted in any case.
Young people and the Swiss reflex: from 16 the Landespolizei may permit the acquisition of privileged weapons for sport or hunting (Art. 19), and from 14 shooting is allowed on approved ranges under supervision. The 7.5 joules sit in Switzerland in Art. 4 WG, here in Art. 3 WaffG.

🔓 Exceptions

Below 7.5 joules and no risk of confusion: a weak air rifle that does not look like a firearm is not a weapon. Make it look real, however, and it becomes a weapon despite the low energy.
Airsoft on secured grounds: participants in airsoft shooting events on a secured site need no carry permit (Art. 38), and none for the transport there either (Art. 39).
Young people with consent: for sporting or hunting purposes the Landespolizei may permit acquisition from age 16 — on the application of the legal representative and subject to conditions.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

Anyone who acquires a 7.5-joule air weapon or a realistic airsoft without a valid contract, or carries it in public without a permit, risks treatment under the WaffG as an offence or a contravention — from a fine up to a monetary or prison penalty; we do not state the exact amounts, because they could not be cleanly sourced. On top of that comes confiscation (Art. 47 WaffG). Badly underestimated: handling a deceptively real airsoft in public may trigger a police operation, because the device is taken for a live firearm — with all the consequences. A register entry acts as a disqualifying ground for future weapon acquisition, and the seller's duties of care (Art. 17) can pull the transferring person into liability too.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Is an air rifle a weapon in Liechtenstein?

Yes, as soon as its muzzle energy reaches at least 7.5 joules or it can be confused with a firearm. It is then a privileged weapon acquired through a written contract, and the buyer must be 18 years old.

Do I need a permit for an airsoft?

No, an airsoft is not a permit-required weapon but, if anything, a privileged one acquired by written contract. If it looks real it still counts as a weapon, and carrying it outside secured sites needs a carry permit.

From what age can I buy an air rifle?

In principle from 18, but the Landespolizei can allow young people from 16 to acquire one for sport or hunting. On officially approved ranges, young people from 14 may shoot under supervision.

May I play with the airsoft outdoors?

On secured grounds with a shooting event yes, and there the participants need no carry permit. In the open public space, carrying a weapon-like replica is risky and may trigger a police operation.

Do the Swiss rules apply here as well?

The 7.5-joule threshold is the same in substance, but in Switzerland it sits in Art. 4 of the Weapons Act and in Liechtenstein in Art. 3 WaffG. Because of the customs treaty, import and export run through the Swiss authorities.

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