Have you ever been injured while using an airsoft gun or paintball gun? As popular and fun as playing with non-powder guns are, the risk of injury is quite high. The rate of eye injuries from non-powder guns has increased by 169% according to CNN. Airsoft guns are included in these stats. The number of kids who have received “severe non-powder gun pediatric eye injuries [has] increased by over 500%” since 2010, according to Stanford University.

Even so, being careful isn’t exactly the easiest. For paintball, statistics show that there are over 3 million people that play. Most paintball courses have an age limit of 8 to 10 years of age in an effort to prevent young kids from playing.

“Only about 11% of the time when a child sustains an eye injury from an air gun is an adult present. In other words, 89% of the time, the child who gets hurt is getting hurt in a setting where there’s no adult supervision,” said Dr. Jorge Gomez, a primary sports medicine specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital.

As mentioned above, eye injuries have become more common. Since there isn’t a law for children under the age of 18 to buy and use air guns, more and more kids are getting hurt. Even after recovering from an eye-related injury (which usually takes a long time to heal), nearly 30% of these young patients still had inferior eyesight with worse than 20/50 vision.

These injuries also put a big emotional strain on parents. Non powder guns can cause serious injuries and even death. Parents should be worried about their children playing with guns, no matter the age. Many parents have let their kids play with airsoft guns and have realized their mistake as they’re headed to the hospital.

“I was so bothered by the kids carrying the airsoft unsafely, pointing them in different directions without regard to backdrop, and shooting into the street with no regard for the safety of those passing by that I was literally shaking,” said writer/parent Kelly Muir from PDN.

Kids and adults are harmed by non powder guns whether it’s from getting eye injuries or from seeing young kids playing with dangerous weapons carelessly.