I've been out of the field for too long

[Mr_Lemming]

Hey all,

I'd introduce myself but no-one would recognise me anyway! The last time I skirmished was over eight years ago (maybe nine, I forget). A whole load of moving house(s), finding jobs and juggling bills pushed me even further to the side-lines than I was... especially as back then I only attended three skirmishes anyway.

Although I would like to get back into the habit of being shot with spherical white balls, I'm still getting the financial side of things sorted these days. Hence you may see a few sales threads from me pop up in the next week or so (yes, I'll follow the rules - things were easier before the whole VCR-bill and lurid-coloured guns appeared though! *waggles walking stick*)

Anyhow, this is me saying howdy.

[Muzlie]

I've been out of the field for too long

Welcome back! There are a few good threads about UKARA and the VCRA bill on site, a brief summery by Longshot:

here is my 'summary' of it all with links to the full documents (if you have a few hours to kill!):

Laws Regarding Buying and Selling Imitation Firearms Relevant to Airsoft

As the law currently stands (and it stands on the whim of the Home Secretary):

In relation to UNDER 18s:

- it is legal to own an IF or a RIF
- it is illegal to buy an IF or a RIF if you are under 18
- it is illegal to sell an IF or a RIF to an under 18

From 'VCRA 2006' Section 40 - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/38/section/40

In relation to OVER 18s:

- it is legal to own an IF or a RIF
- it is legal to buy an IF or a RIF if you are over 18
- it is legal to sell an IF to an over 18
- it is illegal to sell a RIF to an over 18
- it is illegal to manufacture a RIF
- it is illegal to import a RIF

From 'VCRA 2006' Section 36 - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/38/section/36

NOTE 1: if you wish to import a RIF, manufacture a RIF or sell a RIF to an over 18 you can avail yourself of a 'defence against prosecution' if you can show that you believed that you were intending to provide the RIF for "the acting out of military or law enforcement scenarios for the purposes of recreation" (an example of which is 'airsoft skirmishing') at a site with third party liability insurance. One way for a seller to do this is to establish that the buyer is registered with the UKARA database, though this is by no means a legal requirement or the only way for the seller to establish a defence for themselves.

From 'VCRA 2006 (Realistic Imitation Firearms) Regulations 2007' - http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/20072606.htm

With further notes specific to airsoft in 'VCRA 2006 (Commencement No 3) Order 2007' - https://www.gov.uk/government/public...earms-measures

NOTE 2: any attempt to commit one of the offences listed as illegal above is also illegal in itself.

From 'Criminal Attempts Act 1981' Section 1 - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/47/section/1

NOTE 3: the defence required to manufacture a RIF is not age specific, so an under 18 should be able to do so legally as long as they can prove their defence.

Acronym Glossary:

IF: Imitation Firearm (in relation to airsoft this is generally recognised as an airsoft gun which is painted over 50% in an 'unrealistic' colour - this is generally referred to as 'two tone')

RIF: Realistic Imitation Firearm (in relation to airsoft this is generally recognised as an airsoft gun which is 'realistically' coloured so as not be easily distinguishable from a real firearm)

VCRA: Violent Crime Reduction Act (the most recent law which directly affects the buying and selling of imitation firearms)

UKARA: United Kingdom Airsoft Retailers Association (a group created by leading UK airsoft retailers to easily establish a defence against prosecution for themselves when selling imitation firearms - they maintain a database of airsoft players for this purpose; to be entered on the database a player must play three games in over a two month period at a registered airsoft site)

[Mr_Lemming]

Re: I've been out of the field for too long

I appreciate the reminder Muzlie (and Longshot)- I recall reading through the whole bill back in the day, but it's nice to have that extract for reference.

[David J-S]

Re: I've been out of the field for too long

Welcome back to the fold. I hope you manage to score urself some skirmish time soon.