Plastic pellet spring powered air soft guns illegal in NJ without firearms license now? ?

I remember when I was a kid, my dad and I both got $20 plastic pellet guns at Sports Authority to play with in the back yard. In a bit of nostalgia, I was going to order the same ones for my Dad and I to play with for his birthday. They won’t ship to NJ. Apparently, law says they are considered firearms now and I would require a firearms license.

Can anyone confirm this? 

That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of if it’s true. The things could barely punch through a paper plate on a good day at 2 feet away. Not much more than a cooler nerf gun for teenagers. Couldn’t so much as Leave a mark on your skin at point-blank.