Anscheinswaffe (Imitation Firearm)

The category exists specifically because an object that convincingly resembles a firearm can cause the same public alarm and police response as a real one, regardless of its actual lethality — German law regulates the imitation's realism and how it can be carried in public, separately from regulating its power output.

Practical consequences include restrictions on carrying a visible, realistic replica in public spaces outside of transport to and from a field, and additional scrutiny on replicas designed to closely mimic automatic or military firearms. This is the category the F-mark and 0.5-joule threshold both interact with, not a separate, unrelated rule. This is general information, not legal advice — always confirm current requirements with your national authority and your field before you buy, carry or play.

A replica painted a bright, unmistakably toy-like colour is sometimes marketed specifically to sidestep some of these public-perception concerns, though that doesn't change its underlying legal classification or the rules around its actual power output.