Help needed please regarding laws

[sturon]

Hello there
Ive got a bit of a problem and this forum seems to be the best place to seek some help
Basically , my son , who is 11 and lives with his mum , ordered what I thought was just a BB gun from the USA on Ebay. When it arrived an he showed me it turns out to be a RIF ! He tells me its an L96 with bipod scope etc
I originally painted a red band around the barrell because I thought that was the leagl requirement , but apparently its Orange and only done in the States ?
I dont know anything about airsoft other than what I have looked up on the internet but the whole situation seems to be breaking plenty of laws, I think !
I have confiscated the gun for now until I can find out where he stands ?
He only wanted it as a BB gun and not to go 'Airsofting' which I believe he isnt old enough for anyway ?
My question , I guess is , can he keep it and use it in the garden ? If not where and how can we legally sell it as it cost him all his birthday money ( nearly £150!)
Any help to clarify this matter would be much appreciated from you knowledgable souls out there
Thankyou
A confused Dad

[oneshot187]

The National Event is on this weekend so quite a few of the guys really know the law inside and out are away from the forum.

I'd say the illegal act has already been comitted and tbh not much you can do about it so it is more a case of what now....you're basically closing the barn door after the horse has bolted through no fsult of your own.

Just to clear up it illegal for an u18 to puchase anytype of gun that falls under the vcra, so it could be pink, it was still against the law to buy it. The thing is, the l96 has managed to slip through a series of nets and due to your sons age im sure he can actually carry liability. The seller should have checked but also customs should have too.

An u18 however can be gifted a bb gun.

Its up to you what you actually do with the gun now really as a parent, i would suggest spraying up the whole thing bright green or blue so at least there is no mistake about what it is.

As an aside im amazed ebay even allowed it through their net too!

[oneshot187]

As for selling you can do that as long as its to an over 18 who carries valid defence as an airsofter, ie ukara, regular membership to a club etc

[sturon]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

Thankyou for your help Oneshot . Im surprised that it made it through Ebay and customs too but I guess the guy in the States has different laws so any onus was on my son anyway.
If it was sprayed a bright colour does it then constitute it being a toy and therefore he can do as he wishes or are there still laws in place ?

[V.A.K]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

no he's not allowed to own one due to being under 18 despite being a bright colour also over 51% of the gun must be a bright colour the gun must remain in your possession once it has been sprayed and as oneshot said it has to be sold to someone with a valid defence ie a renactor or skirmisher
edit either that or you can take him airsofting get into it become a regular player and then keep the gun

[sturon]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

I see , thankyou for that , I guess I'm gonna have to try and sell it and recuperate some of his birthday money.Can I sell on this site or are there specific avenues to selling it ?
I'll get him to stick to Battlefield Live , he cant hurt anyone with a laser !! lol

[No1_sonuk]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

no he's not allowed to own one due to being under 18 despite being a bright colour also over 51% of the gun must be a bright colour the gun must remain in your possession once it has been sprayed and as oneshot said it has to be sold to someone with a valid defence ie a renactor or skirmisher

Sorry, but that is ENTIRELY wrong.
The VCRA says NOTHING about owning IFs or RIFs, only sale or under-18 buying.

e.g. NO ONE who owned a RIF before the VCRA came into force had to paint them...

The whole 2-tone thing is intended to stop the SALE of RIFs to people without a valid defence.
If someone sells a RIF to someone without a valid defence, that person has broken the law, NOT the person who bought it. The person that bought it is also under NO OBLIGATION WHATSOEVER to 2-tone the gun.

A further complication is that it's illegal for an under-18 to buy an IF/RIF...

What's REALLY surprising, though, is how a RIF got past Customs.

[sturon]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

The strange thing is that it didnt get past customs ! They had to pick the gun up from the Post office and pay a £20 customs fee ! It was even marked on the box what the item was .....
I guess any safeguards in place arent working ???

[V.A.K]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

sorry no 1 i was under the impression that under 18s weren't allowed to own rifs, so the ukara is a bit like the cigarette law in this country illegal for under 18s to buy but perfectly legal to smoke. cheers for clearing that up. if he plays battlefield live then were do you take him because theres usually a skirmish site nearby

[BringOnThunder]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

This seems a strange one really, there a loads of people who have perfectly legit defenses and have difficulties getting things into the country! The gun is perfectly legal to own, yes laws were broken when buying it but ultimately the law has been broken now and selling it on the act of buying it while U18 has still happened. That being said there are a large number of kids U18 knowing they are not allowed to legally buy them but still do, that being said I would say you should be okay. It is up to you about the painting of the gun, ultimately having it as a bright colour is only required when buying, although if you feel more comfortable then paint it bright colours as if questioned by the police they may be unhappy that it is black and you have no defense. As long as your son doesn't run around flashing it around the streets then it should be fine shooting it in the garden. Might be worth mentioning to your neighbors about it to reduce the chances of problems. hope to have helped.

[sturon]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

Thankyou all for your help , its much appreciated , I guess there seems to be a lot of grey areas but I think its gonna have to go.... Dont fancy a SWAT team turning up on his doorstep as a neighbour has reported him as a Terrorist !
Just for interest this is the gun....

[cannon_fodder]

Re: Help needed please regarding laws

No 1 is correct.

UNDER 18s are alowed to own RIFs and 2 tones + Knives (and cigarettes ) BUT it is illegal for under 18s to purchase them.

The illegal act has been comitted already. I'm shocked this made it through customs as it was most probably air-freighted!!

The ORANGE tip is a legal requirment in the USA and not required in the UK.



AS you have it now here is the LAW:

It is legal for anyone of any age to own.
It is legal to use on private property with permission of the owner.

It is ILLEGAL to use in public or on public land or on private land without permission.
It is ILLEGAL to have it with you in public with out good reason. (If you transport it make sure its in a zipped bag/ case or original box)
It is ILLEGAL to sell this to anyone in the UK who is under 18
As it is A RIF it is also ILLEGAL to sell to ANYONE without a defence.