I've been looking into the rules and regulations just lately about shooting in the back garden and although there are a set number of rules regarding air rifles of sub 12ft lbs (the legal limit in uk) which relate to not shooting beyound your boundary, having to use a effective back stop, not discharging a air rifle within 50ft of a public rd or foot path and not causing distress to neighbours i can find no information on iether using a air pistol or airsoft gun all airsoft are alot less powerful and even if bb ricoches it is very unlikely to cause injury as the power of most airsoft guns is around 1-1.5 joules energy were as airguns can range from 7 joules for a pistol to up to 16 joules for a sub 12ft lb rifle also its a plastic bb that is 0.2 to 0.2.5 not a steel bb or pellet that even in 177 is about 8.5grms or up to 16grms or more for a. 22 air rifle and this is also the reason that a lot of indoor airgun ranges where people use air pistol to shoot knock down steel plonking targets at a range of 6-10mtrs are now banning the use of metal ammo at this range due to people being hit from ricoches its not to bad with rifles at 25mtrs but you do still get a few also since these airgun ranges are banning metal ammo both lead and steel and not only telling but even providing pistol shooters with airsoft pistols for safety will this ever be a valid form of defence as people won't be able to use a air pistol other than precision target shooting which is only a very small minority of air pistol shooters not to mention you dont use gbbg or co2 pistols to shoot 6mtr precision target sorry for rant gents