your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

[Dan583]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

What i've never understood, Is that someone who is not UKARA registered could only buy a realistic looking pistol (Lets take a Beretta 92FS for example) 2 Toned or clear, Yet anyone over 18 could go into a shop and buy a realistic looking full metal replica air pistol firing at say 400fps just with providing ID. How is this?

[gundown]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

This would allow for people to by a sniper rife as a lower powered firearm. Then reduce the fps and use it without a defence.

[Fizzy]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

I understood the 1 joule 328 fps (+ 5 %) limit was actually set by insurance companies. I might be wrong with this but I haven't seen this figure actually written down as a law anywhere (but there are many laws and I don't claim to have read many of them).

Actually, 1J is a Home Office recommendation, with 1.35J being the upper limit, as Panoptes already mentioned (For an AEG anyway)

[North West Outpost]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

two tone was broken when it was invented, this is just another way to break the rules again

I know Paul from said shop and there is no way he would do anything to break rules or Laws...

[North West Outpost]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

VCRA is a pile of incoherent, badly-written shite anyway...

It is quite unbelievable that anyone over the age of 18 can walk into a gun shop and buy and with id buy something that fires a lead pellet at 12 ft lb's. Yet anyone wanting to shoot plastic bb's has to full fill more requirements and be registered on a data base or skirmish regularly to proove this.

If you look at paint ball guns they fire a much heavier pellet at upto 500 fps and with a minor mod can shoot glass marbles....strange don't you think.

But at the end of the day it allows us legally own and use our toy guns. So we have to follow this beaurocratic shite..

[Fizzy]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

It is quite unbelievable that anyone over the age of 18 can walk into a gun shop and buy and with id buy something that fires a lead pellet at 12 ft lb's. Yet anyone wanting to shoot plastic bb's has to full fill more requirements and be registered on a data base or skirmish regularly to proove this.

That's because of the difference between 'firearm' and 'imitation firearm'. We all know the VCRA was a crock of crap, and it was hastilily put together so the govt. could be seen to be tackling gun crime after the speight of shootings that happened.

[N_Scooby]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

Actually, 1J is a Home Office recommendation, with 1.35J being the upper limit, as Panoptes already mentioned (For an AEG anyway)

Ahhh, I hadn't seen that. Cheers Fizzy.


To the other posts above, the store in question is 100% correct. I don't mean to sound rude but it is going to:

Air Rifles/Pistols cannot be RIF's as covered by the VCR Act because they are not Realistic Immatation Firearms, they are actually Firearms themselves - be it low powered ones. They have there own legislation - whether you agree with it or not, that is the way it is.

Our whole defence / need to be 2 toned is based VCR Act which covers RIF's be it a spud gun that fires at 2 fps or an AEG that fires at 350 fps they are all classed the same. Our defence as skirmishers was tacked on at the end of the VCRA to allow us to keep our 'Toys' black and not a bright colour like the 2 fps spud gun has to be.

Yes it is strange that there is a cross over point, but in my opinion, I am against any 500 fps sniper rifle being allowed on the skirmish sites and maybe a 380 fps upper limit should be set. How can you trust that someone will stick to the 30m engagement zone. If this ban was set, then this would clear up any confusion.

[ste887]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

This would allow for people to by a sniper rife as a lower powered firearm. Then reduce the fps and use it without a defence.

but that would be manufacturing a RIF

[North West Outpost]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

Yes it is strange that there is a cross over point, but in my opinion, I am against any 500 fps sniper rifle being allowed on the skirmish sites and maybe a 380 fps upper limit should be set. How can you trust that someone will stick to the 30m engagement zone. If this ban was set, then this would clear up any confusion.

Why.

There's to many restrictions now with out adding more.

You don't need to take away the right to use a 500fps sniper, you should have to earn the right to own and use one.

By this I mean they should be shaddowed by a marshal to prove they are capable and know within a little the MED, thats physical distance not site rules. Able to use field craft and not deliberatly use head shots or close shots. Obviously big events couldn't handle loads of potential snipers turning up. But if carried out on their local site verification can be obtained.

That should stop anybody fancying a go at sniping, buying the gun be it rif or if, tuning it to 500fps and poping someone in the face at 20m.

When sniping I use the advantage ofthe few extra yards and shoot at distance, I deffinatly try to shoot at no less than 50m. In my mind there is no point in hiding in a bush, letting someone walk within 20-30m then pop them it bloody hurts. I wouldn't want anyone to do this to me....So I don't do it to other people.

[screwdriver]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

as mentioned many times before any airsoft gun exceeding 1-1.35j (confusion as which limit is correct) , becomes reclassed under firearms law even if it only fired rolled up bits of wet paper.

any single shot bolt action springer/gas rifle which fires over this limit is technically under law an airweapon and requires no vcra defense never did.
only problem is under law you cant fire an airweapon at somebody and i would dought that a sites insurance would cover for this.

this is quite amusing that a company that says this regularly sell full auto aegs that exceed the legal limit and advertise the fact in the product descriptions. these weapons are illegal to own under firearms law as auto airweapons are not allowed

check this link.
http://www.practicalairsoft.co.uk/uk-law.asp

[gundown]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

but that would be manufacturing a RIF

good point did not think of that

[N_Scooby]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

but that would be manufacturing a RIF

If they did it, then used it on the skirmish field, they are perfectly allowed to do this, as long as they skirmish regularly. They have their defence that way. If they didn't skirmish and only played with it in the back garden there would be no need to down grade it from 500fps to 380 fps.

[No1_sonuk]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

The problem is that the information is spread across several documents.
The VCRA is law. The airsoft defence is contained in Home Office documents under the "Home Secretary can grant other exceptions" clauses of the VCRA.
I have no idea where the oft-touted "fps limits" are given (please supply links to government documents if you have them), but as far as I'm aware, the only legally-defined limit is the 12ft/lb threshold between unlicenced air weapons and licenced firearms.

12 ft/lb is 1323 fps with a 0.2g BB...

[Fizzy]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

The 1.35J 'upper limit' is mentioned on several documents, but isn't actually written into law as far as I'm aware, and also AFAIW there have been no prosecutions either

[No1_sonuk]

Re: your airsoft rifle is an air rifle?

I've been in contact with an employee of another retailer who had this to say (quoted from a PM with permission):

AH have come under pressure from UKBA and Thames Valley police to restrict the distance selling of single action and automatic airsoft guns to 1 joule.

I have contacted the Home Office and although they make no secret that this would be their preferred state of affairs, they did confirm that there is no legislation pending that would set lethality in law.

This is probably why only AH have this restriction in place.
And it would seem they don't want to stir up "trouble" with their local police by resisting.
Let's hope others do, or this will become "common practice", then law.