air pistols and air rifles

[bdc]

They can fill a couple of niches:
1. training of new shooters without the expense and storage requirements of firearms projectiles;
2. dealing with small vermin within an enclosed area (home/garage/stable) wherein there is a desire not to destroy the structure or risk having a projectile penetrate a wall or separation.

I suspect that more families among the American Indians harvested more rabbits with throwing sticks than harvested deer/buffalo/elk/moose with a bow and arrow.

During the American Depression, most of the large game were hunted nearly to extinction and many families relied upon squirrels harvested with .22s.