Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-38684270-20190425225012/@comment-27306930-20190504060743

Pedroh1999 wrote:

... The gray-trigger springers have weaker, well, springs, while the electronic blasters have extra resistors soldered to their circuits ... Thanks for finally answering the question I've been wondering about for years - how do they limit the gray trigger flywheel blasters. I suspected it was either simple resistors, or slightly different motors. Now I know.

BTW Jet, the laws in Australia define 53 m/s (175 ft/s) as the limit for regulated vs. unregulated firearms. Nerf blasters don't approach anywhere near that FPS - typically just 69 FPS. It's a misconception that orange trigger blaster aren't legal in Australia because they "shoot too fast".

It's actually subtleties in the regulations that govern children's toys that limit the pounds per square inch that toys, and their associated parts, can impart on unprotected skin that ultimately determined the maximum velocity of Nerf darts in Australia and certain other countries like Brazil.

As I've said before, much of this is purely academic. Children can throw baseballs faster than 70 FPS. They can hurt people. It doesn't mean kid's baseballs are regulated under gun laws in Australia because of their FPS.

In the end, it's not gun laws, or limits on FPS, it's just boring old regulations regarding toy safety. Sorry to be such a nit picker, but sometimes the truth is important.