The rifle the man was reported to be carrying turned out to be an airsoft gun, a nonlethal replica firearm that shoots plastic pellets and is often used for games like paintball, police said.

Three German tourists were federally cited for shooting Joshua Tree National Park signs, bathrooms and dumpsters with paintballs, authorities said Thursday.

A woman said she was shot at with a paintball gun as she was leaving a gay bar on Sunset Boulevard while holding hands with her girlfriend.

Current wildlife mitigation efforts at airports around the state involve wildlife service teams who startle away birds and other wildlife using loud sounds from poppers and paintball guns.

In Alaska, wildlife service teams currently are used to scare birds and other wildlife away from runways with loud sounds, sometimes made with paintball guns.