In the majority of cities a paintball gun is considered a firearm.  It is illegal to shoot them within city limits.  They are capable of shooting a paintball in excess of 200 mph or 300 fps (feet per second).  The paintball gun should be treated as a real firearm.  You should never point at anything you don’t intend to shoot.  The barrel should be pointed up or down until you are on the playing field and ready to play.  The barrel plug or sleeve should be in or on the barrel when you are not playing. The CO₂ tank has 3,000 psi when it is full.  It should be removed from the gun when you are not playing.  Many guns have a safety on them and it should be engaged except when you are playing.  The electro pneumatic guns do not have safeties on them, but you can turn the gun off which you should do when not playing.  Most accidental shootings of the paintball gun the typical “I didn’t know it was loaded” scenario.  You should never look down the barrel and always handle the gun as if it is loaded!  You should always chronograph you gun before you play and occasionally during the day.  The velocity should never be above 300 fps.  Most fields require the gun to be around 280 fps or below.  It is set lower for indoor paintball due to the close range.

There have been two deaths caused by equipment malfunctions.  These both involved the valve on a CO₂ tank.  Instead of the valve unscrewing from the gun, it unscrewed from the tank causing the tank to become a projectile.  There are a couple of precautions you can take to prevent this type of accident.  First, point the barrel up when removing the tank.  If the tank comes off of the valve, it will strike the ground.  Secondly, use nail polish or paint and make a line across the valve and C0₂ tank.  Do this when the tank is fully attached to the gun and put the line where it is easily visible when you start to remove the tank from the gun.  If the line breaks or is not lined up, you know something is wrong and you should not continue removing the tank.  If your tank needs repair, take it to an authorized dealer who is qualified to work on them.  Also, have your tank hydrotested at the recommended intervals.  The tanks have dates or codes on them that will indicate when the testing is due.

Taking the extra safety precautions will make your paintball experience a more enjoyable one.  Don’t ever try to take short cuts or ignore the safety steps. Have fun and enjoy the game!