Keep your orange tips!

Do airsoft M4 rifles legally have to have an orange tip?

American federal laws state that it is required by law to have  6 mm (approx. 1/4") orange tips to be present on all "toy guns" which includes airsoft type toy and replica guns transported within and imported into the United States.

However, these orange tips can easily be removed or painted. Please help the airsoft game in general and do not do this. One high level case occurred in Florida where a student threatened fellow classmates with an airsoft pistol and was later shot dead when he pointed it towards an officer. The orange tip mandated by US Federal law had been painted black. Airsoft players may decide to paint over the orange tip on their guns because it makes them more discrete at a distance when they play, and we all like to be as realistic as possible.  However, despite the lack of federal penalties for consumers who remove the required orange tips, some states like California have enacted state legislation that does impose criminal penalties for the removal of any required orange blaze markings.