air gun injuries

Question
My son wants an airgun but I am concerned that his target shooting could cause accidental injury or damage our vinyl siding.  How far does an airgun pellet travel at a speed sufficient to cause potential property or personal onjury?

Answer
Rather than just to give your son an airgun, I would reccommend that he first receive some safety instruction from a knowledgible adult.  You can probably find someone willing to do this by visiting a local shooting club.  Some shooting clubs also have classes and competitions on airgun shooting.

Regarding your question about range: it varies depending on the power, caliber, and projectile type, but airguns can be dangerous to people at more than 100 yards.  At that distance, someone can still be blinded if the projectile enters the eye.  So, it is important to have safety instruction, and supervision until the person shows that they understand their responsibility.  I don't know for sure about the distance for damaging vinyl siding, but I suspect that it can still be damaged at 50 yards or more.

Hope this helps!

Dave