Andy Hardy was grieving the loss of his infant when friends convinced him to try airsoft.

Between the camaraderie, getting outside and keeping his mind focused on the present, the sport provided him an opportunity to start moving on.

Since 2013, airsoft has also been a way for Hardy to earn an income through Andy’s Airsoft, a business he runs out of his home in Charlottetown and which has become the largest seller in the Maritimes, clearing just shy of $1 million in sales last year.

Bill C-21, new legislation introduced by Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair on Feb. 16, could make his hobby and business unsustainable, he said.

“A fake shotgun will be more illegal than a real shotgun. So, everything (in stock), all the guns would be banned. It would be the end of airsoft.”

Safety

Speaking with The Guardian on Friday, Blair said the amendments involving airsoft rifles are based on consultations with law enforcement across the country.

“The concern that has been expressed to us by the law enforcement community is that exact replicas represent an unacceptable public safety risk.”