Coming back to skirmish

[loki7491]

Re: Coming back to skirmish

It is a UKARAism.

[Stickybomb]

Re: Coming back to skirmish

To be honest just being one of the regular posters on here could consider you as having a defense, it shows you're clearly 'into' airsoft as a sport.
Although It might not be a fantastic defense if you haven't uploaded pics on here of your current armory and loadout(s).

[Rich83]

Re: Coming back to skirmish

Though, to add to what Loki wrote while I was posting, this is not a hard and fast legal rule, though it is 'the most commonly accepted' way of interpreting the defence. A lot of people have tried to argue their point when it comes to the finer points of a lot of laws and a lot of those people lost their cases on the day.

I would expect nothing less than to loose my case, and that's the b*ll*cks of it!

[Longshot]

Re: Coming back to skirmish

^ that's the truth of it.

The fact is there's probably a big difference between what we actually think should be the case and how the law is likely to see it. If you actually read what the law says its so bloody vague you probably could say there's no specific law whatsoever that definitely relates to how a player can be defined as an airsofter, but just because you think you can argue that case doesn't mean the law would see it that way.

If anyone is interested here is the relevant law in full (as an amendment to the original VCRA):

"1. These sections introduce a ban on the supply of realistic imitation firearms.

2. Section 36 makes it an offence to manufacture, import or sell realistic imitation firearms. It also makes it an offence to modify an imitation firearm to make it realistic. Subsection 7 provides that imported realistic imitation firearms will be liable to forfeiture under customs and excise controls.

3. Section 37 provides various defences to the new offence. It makes it a defence to show that the manufacture, importation, sale or modification was only for the purpose of making the realistic imitation firearm available for:
a museum or gallery

- theatrical performances and rehearsals of such performances
- the production of films and television programmes
- the organisation and holding of historical re-enactments
- crown servants.

1. Subsection 3 provides a further defence for businesses to import realistic imitation firearms for the purpose of modifying them to make them non-realistic.

2. Subsection 7 provides that ‘museum or gallery’ includes institutions which are open to the public and whose purpose includes the preservation, display and interpretation of material of historical, artistic or scientific interest. Historical re-enactment is defined as ‘any presentation or other event held for the purpose of re-enacting an event from the past or of illustrating conduct from a particular time or period in the past’. This is intended to include a range of re-enactment activities, including the display of military vehicles at shows and presentations to school children by war veterans.

3. Section 36(3) gives the Secretary of State a power to provide for further exceptions, exemptions or defences. This power has been exercised to make the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (Realistic Imitation Firearms) Regulations 2007, which can be downloaded through the following link: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/20072606.htm.

The regulations provide for two new defences. The first is for the organisation and holding of airsoft skirmishing. This is defined by reference to “permitted activities” and the defence applies only where third party liability insurance is held in respect of the activities. The second new defence is for the purpose of display at arms fairs, defined in the regulations by reference to “permitted events”.

1. The regulations also specify the persons who can claim the defence for historical re-enactment. This is restricted to those organising or taking part in re-enactment activities for which third party liability insurance is held.

2. For manufacturers, importers and vendors to claim one of the defences, they must be able to show that their conduct was for purpose of making realistic imitation firearms available for one of the reasons specified in the defences above. How they should satisfy themselves of this will vary from case to case and it might be advisable for them to keep a record of this for each transaction. In some cases they could ask to see, for example, a letter from the commissioning film or television company.

In others, for example an importer, they might want to rely on orders from a supplier to the film industry. For re-enactments, it would be advisable to ask to see any membership card and to check that either the individual or the re-enactment society holds the required insurance. For airsoft skirmishing, the Association of British Airsoft is putting in place arrangements to allow retailers to check that individual purchasers are members of a genuine skirmishing club or site. The key elements of these arrangements are:

- new players must play at least 3three times in a period of not less than two months the two months before being offered membership
- membership cards with a photograph and recognized format will be issued for production to retailers
- a central database will be set up for retailers to cross-check a purchaser’s details
- a member’s entry on the database will be deleted if unused for 12 months.

The defence for airsoft skirmishing can apply to individual players because their purchase of realistic imitation firearms for this purpose is considered part of the “holding” of a skirmishing event."

[loki7491]

Re: Coming back to skirmish

Well there you have it....

Walk into a shop - prove you are over 18 and want the RIF for skirmishing and you are good to go.

The onus is on the shop to satisfy themselves that you want it for skirmishing and thus have a legitimate defence.

The 3 games / 2 months thing is purely UKARA, which is helpful but not legal as it is purely to help keep retailers out of the dock!

[Rich83]

Re: Coming back to skirmish

If anyone is interested here is the relevant law in full (as an amendment to the original VCRA):

"1. These sections introduce a ban on the supply of realistic imitation firearms.

2. Section 36 makes it an offence to make up stupid rules as you go along just because the Daily Mail ran a headline about a foreign immigrant paedophile who was on benefits when he was actually fit to work, who might have been seen with what could have been in his pocket a replica imitation firearm but equally could have been a Mars Bar but because politicians have to look like they are tackling the ever increasing amount of foreign immigrant paedophile benefit fraudsters who are armed to the teeth with what may or may not be weapons of any kind (and statistics show that this type of hardened criminal is almost certainly living under your bed as you read this, waiting for their time to come out), to appease those people who read the Daily Mail.

Yeah we've all read the VCRA before until it bored the tits off us and our minds wandered towards the real cause of it.