Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

[j1974]

Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas or is it only with ukara membership?

Thanks.

[Bryan Mills]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

UKARA membership does not "allow" you to buy from overseas.

United
Kingdom
Airsoft
Retailers
Association

Membership to a genuine Airsoft site is your legal defence (assuming over 18)

UKARA is simply the method UK retailers can use to check you are a member of a bonafide site so they can sell to you.

In short, YES, being a member of a reenactment club, society, whatever IS a legal defence and covers you for importing of RIFs but whatever you are a member of needs to be legit and have insurance.

[j1974]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

So when you receive membership for the re enactment club does that include the insurance or is that something different? Thanks.

[Jasont21]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

I am part of the napoleonic association. We deal with black powder etc so have to have insurance.
I asked Z1 about this as my Ukara had expired. They requested my membership ID, proof of age and proof of insurance. Our unit has public liability insurance (The one airsoft companies are interested in i believe), but i also have my own public liability insurance as i shoot shotguns at the weekends too. My personal one is via Country Cover club which covers shooting, reenacment, hunting etc. (Covers UK and EU)
Z1 accepted this combo as proof of defence and allowed me to purchase through them.
It should be enough for euro purchases too, but i would imagine it depends on the customs person you get on the day. Should you email them the same info and go into detail... resite the 'law' and mention defences, it should be fine. Just remember you will likely need proof of membership and insurance. Just saying you do something at the weekend won't be enough

[Bryan Mills]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

Read the VCRA sections 36 and 37.

Section 36 is the offences (importing in this instance)
Section 37 shows the defences (reenactment assuming gunine club)

UK borders are inherrantly lazy and falsly believe UKARA to be the only law. It may be in your interest to email copies of your insurance and membership and copy of sections 36 and 37 with the various parts highlighted.

[j1974]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

Under section 37 i can see that it says being a member of an organisation that holds public liability insurance but am still not sure if a separate insurance has to be taken out by the individual especially as there is no mention of that requirement or it is just the fact that the organisation its self is covered?. You are right i think the only way of finding out would be to contact them in advance of a purchase. If a separate insurance is required as well as a membership of an organisation which has insurance then the vcra is not as specific as it could be.

[Bryan Mills]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

No, you misunderstand me.

If your club is insured and you are over 18 you ARE covered.

I meant email those documents to the overseas retailer and ask them to print it out and place it either in the box or in a documents enclosed wallet.

That way if borders stop it they have all the infomation they need to let it pass through unhindered

[Jasont21]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

Under section 37 i can see that it says being a member of an organisation that holds public liability insurance but am still not sure if a separate insurance has to be taken out by the individual especially as there is no mention of that requirement or it is just the fact that the organisation its self is covered?. You are right i think the only way of finding out would be to contact them in advance of a purchase. If a separate insurance is required as well as a membership of an organisation which has insurance then the vcra is not as specific as it could be.

separate isnt required... but if your org required you to take our your own instead of having theirs, the one i mentioned covers you for reenacment. Either way, you need to prove you have public liability insurance if you are using reenacment as your form of defence. I have both as i do multiple things

[RWJP]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

It's only Airsofters that require insurance in place (through the site they are a member of) for their defence.

Re-enactors come under this section of the defence:

(1)It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under section 36 in respect of any conduct to show that the conduct was for the purpose only of making the imitation firearm in question available for one or more of the purposes specified in subsection (2).
(2)Those purposes are—
(e)the organisation and holding of historical re-enactments organised and held by persons specified or described for the purposes of this section by regulations made by the Secretary of State;

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/38/section/37

And as a further explanatory note, historical re-enactment is described as:

“historical re-enactment” means 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;

As you can see, there is no requirement for anyone to hold insurance to be eligible for the re-enactors defence. You simply need to be able to prove that the gun is being made available for use in a historical re-enactment, which in this case would mean being a member of a re-enactment group or society. If they hold insurance that's great as it further legitimises the group, but it is not required for the re-enactment defence.

[j1974]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

Ok thank you for clarifying.

[Jasont21]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

There may not be a requirement, but it is what is requested

[AJW]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

Hello,

Whilst the principal Act (Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) does not mention third party public liability insurance for re-enactors, it does reference that regulations may be applied. Such regulations have been applied (The Violent Crime Reduction Act (Realistic Imitation Firearm) Regulations 2007) and regulation 5 specifically requires such insurance for re-enactors;

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2...ulation/5/made

These are the same regulations that (earlier) set out the terms of the defence for airsoft skirmishing. It is less than brilliant that all these details are not set out in the principal Act, but that is how it has developed.

I hope that helps.

Adrian

[j1974]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

At the end of the day if the re enactment society/club of which someone becomes a member has its own public liability insurance they have a legal defence without taking out another insurance? correct me if i am wrong?.

[Jasont21]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

At the end of the day if the re enactment society/club of which someone becomes a member has its own public liability insurance they have a legal defence without taking out another insurance? correct me if i am wrong?.

Yes. Ive explained why i had separate.
You will still need prrof of your regiments insurance tho.

[j1974]

Re: Does having re enactment membership allow purchase of RIF from overseas?

Surely you would just provide them with proof of membership ie card with photo id and then if the seller wishes to can check.