I seem to be kind of running out of inspiration at the moment re. this 'blog though I will say that I heard of another case of a cat being shot by someone with an 'air-rifle/pistol' (it survived but must have suffered much pain and distress) : Over the years I've heard of many incidents of children or teenagers having fired  'air-gun' pellets into animals or other children , and  one of a pellet  ricocheting off a wall and flying into someones eye .
At close range or used without proper care and attention they can cause very nasty injuries or fatalities to humans or animals .
I believe that anyone who is or looks 16 or over can legally buy them : Their ownership should require a licence , only available to people aged 18+ who have no criminal record for any violent offence .
I expect it can be fun to use them responsibly for target practice ; It should be illegal to use them in any other way .