Bend could be getting an indoor airsoft arena within six to eight weeks, if everything goes according to plan for founder Rohan Grace.

“We’re just waiting on approval from the city at this point,” Grace said.

If the city grants approval, Grace’s new company, Peak Airsoft, will transform a warehouse off SE Wilson Avenue into a center for airsoft activity in the area, including a retail store, a seating area for players and a 10,000-square-foot arena for airsoft battles.

“It’s going to be a great place to come together,” Grace said.

Airsoft air-powered guns fire small, nonlethal plastic balls, which typically measure about 6 millimeters in diameter, according to Grace. Players form teams and battle each other in simulated warfare. Marco Douglas, owner and manager of Oregon Airsoft Arena in Hillsboro, the larger of the two indoor airsoft arenas operating in the state, likened airsoft to a real-life video game.

“For people who are familiar with paintball, it’s like paintball, but without the mess and with less pain,” Douglas said.

Douglas said that, with no indoor arenas east of the Cascades, people from Central Oregon drive to Portland to play indoors. He said he reached out to Oregon Airsoft as part of a business agreement where he would offer tech support and discounts on airsoft products to Grace.

For Ross Keys, owner and manager of Bend Airsoft, a local business that organizes outdoor matches for airsoft hobbyists in Central Oregon, the opening of Peak Airsoft represents a chance to continue to grow a game that has exploded in popularity since coming over from Japan more than 30 years ago.

“Having an indoor arena gives people a place to go, rain or shine,” Keys said.

Grace said that his arena would be able to host up to 20 people at a time, for a game of 10 by 10. Peak Airsoft plans to offer time for groups to reserve the arena and open hours, when anyone could join a team and play a round. The company has not announced rates or hours.

“If you come by yourself, you can still meet up and play with other people,” Grace said.

Grace said that airsoft guns often strongly resemble their real-life counterparts, save for an orange tip that identifies them as a replica firearm, as required by federal law. Still, a tip can be removed, as it was in the case of Tamir Rice, the Cleveland preteen who was shot last year while carrying an airsoft gun.

Because of the inherent dangers, Grace said he would be making safety a priority. He said that one of the rules of Peak Airsoft would be that visitors would have to carry their guns in bags, rather than having them out when walking into the arena. He added that the gym would provide storage for players who wanted to store their guns on-site.

“They don’t need to use them anywhere but here,” Grace said.

In addition, he said that he wanted to also use the space for learning, such as setting aside an evening where a local police officer could discuss the importance of gun safety.

“I’ve reached out to the Bend Police Department, and they seemed very open to the idea,” Grace said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7818, shamway@bendbulletin.com