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Should the Airbow Be Legal for Archery Season?

By Bow StaffMay 14, 2017279 Comments

By now you’ve probably heard all about the Benjamin Pioneer Airbow that was unleashed in 2016 as the “next big thing” in the world of hunting weapons. More than a year later many are still wondering if this new style of weapon will find it’s place in the hunting world as being valid for hunting big game? Some states have already okayed the concept for hunting, while others are fighting it with all they got.

Benjamin Pioneer Airbow

Bow, gun, or crossbow…what exactly is the Airbow?

The Pioneer Airbow from Benjamin is an all-new category of big game weapon featuring full length arrows and full weight broadheads, all driven by air. The Pioneer can be cocked with two fingers (and decocked just as easily), and fires 8 shots in the same amount of time it takes to fire three from a crossbow, all up to a blazing 450 FPS. The Airbow measures 33.5″ in length and 2″ wide.

Jim Shockey was one of the first big-name hunters to endorse the product. He even had the opportunity to put the Pioneer Airbow to test while hunting a buffalo in Texas.

“This little tiny thing is honestly gonna revolutionize hunting…archery, crossbow…its really, really fun!” says Jim Shockey.

Here’s the video of Shockey’s demo of the AirBow…

While some consider the Airbow just another cool toy, others are already pushing for it to be accepted as a viable weapon in the world of big game hunting. In fact, just last year, Pennsylvania state Rep. Marc Gergely, issued a notice indicating his plans to introduce a bill which would make airbows legal for hunting in Pennsylvania. The state currently does not allow air-powered devices for hunting.

“I recognize that it would be unreasonable to legalize the Airbow during archery season, considering that it is significantly more advanced and has greater firepower than current compounds and crossbows,” Gergely states. “Thus, this bill intends to permit the use of an airbow during firearms season only.”

Pioneer Airbow

The Benjamin Pioneer Airbow was a pretty hot item at the 2016 ATA Show in Louisville, KY.

But others are concerned that the Airbow concept will creep into the archery and bowhunting category. After all, the Benjamin Pioneer Airbow did make it’s debut at the 2016 ATA Show, archery and bowhunting’s leading tradeshow. And it does have “bow” in the name. That’s enough to scare the snot out of traditional bowhunting advocates, as well as encourage those who would love to see the Airbow accepted as legal archery tackle.

Here’s a look at the states where Crosman believes the Airbow is currently legal for hunting big game…

states allowing airbow map

There’s only a handful of states with regulations that seem to allow the use of the Airbow for big game hunting. Will that change in the years ahead?

So what do you think? Will the Airbow ever become standard archery equipment like the crossbow? Should it? Comment below and let us know what you think.

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