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Policing and Crime Bill


RWJP

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Firesupport posted this on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Firesupportffz/posts/10153758883591858

 

This is a new bill going through Parliament which makes various changes to existing laws, including providing a full exception for Airsoft guns, specifying them accurately in the Firearms Act 1968

 

The relevant part of the bill is here:

 

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2015-2016/0134/cbill_2015-20160134_en_10.htm

 

Only issue I note is that it defines Airsoft guns as firing rounds up to 6mm, meaning that 8mm Airsoft guns are left in a dangerous grey area.

 

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Mostly good news, to have the specific description, but damn is 1.3j (380fps) too low. Half of full auto airsoft guns are made higher than that in the current world of airsoft. That means it would be illegal to import many full auto and change the spring to a 'uk appropriate' power (350 or 328).

 

*stay positive, stay positive, stay positive*

Good news that we aren't going to be arrested for firearms crimes now.

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I would say the import market would accommodate that, and fit uk-spec springs at the factory, or risk losing trade? Either that, or an exemption be put in place to only import over 380 through a dealer who must downgrade before sending on?

 

380 is plenty. Look at the range TM guns get for example :)

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I bet you, this changes absolutely nothing.

From the point of view of our day today skirmishing, buying, selling, chairsofting etc... You are correct, it changes absolutely nothing.

 

However, the big thing here is that this bill provides a proper legal definition of what an Airsoft gun actually is. If it passes and makes it into law, we no longer have the crappy grey area that Airsoft guns existed in before where they sat in a middle ground between Air gun and real firearm.

 

That definition then sets a precedent. Once Airsoft guns have a proper legal definition, it would then be easier to look into the existing Airsoft defence, to simplify and clarify it. That could lead to our existing messy system being made easier.

 

Similarly, a legal definition will actually protect the hobby as a whole. Next time someone introduces a bill trying to outlaw airsoft guns, we have a legal backing of "Hey, you have already defined our Airsoft guns as non-lethal and "not a firearm" and they have been provided with an exception from the normal firearms laws. You have no need to ban something you have already provided an exception for!"

 

So sure, it changes nothing immediately, but in my opinion, it sets a much stronger basis for defending Airsoft in the future.

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Oh I'm not on about day to day skirmishing, I'm on about everything you just mentioned still!

 

- Buying will still require a site membership

- importing won't change one bit (even with new power 'limits'

- selling will still require a site membership

 

There's no real grey area that amounts to any confusion that actually makes an impact on anything right now.

 

"What's that!"

"An Airsoft gun. A toy gun, basically"

"Oh"

 

The grey area you mention, what does it actually impact?

 

People have been on about defending Airsoft for years now. Ever since the VCRA, it's sat tight.

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They grey area is that our defence is untested, in a court of law. We have an exemption, that would have to be proven in court via a defence. Last time I checked, no-one has been to court and proved their defence to buy a rif.

 

This is good news (tiny good) .

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As most sites run a 350fps full auto limit I don't really see the point in upping site limits when that gives you a decent cushion to make sure you don't exceed the 1.3j legal definition (assuming it goes ahead). The only real reason the 400+ fps stuff hits these shores is because it was easier for the old china clones to up their fps than make stuff with better manufacturing tolerances. Just look at what a well set up system can do without insane power. Too may shops sell straight imports with silly fps to new starters that don't know the difference and then turn up for a skirmish to be disappointed that they can't use their new toy so this should go some way to sort that out. FPS isn't everything and 1.3j for full auto is more than enough in the UK I reckon.

 

B->

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As far as imports go, IIRC Italy has a .99 J limit for all airsoft guns, shops shipping to Italy just downgrade the spring before shipping. I would imagine the same thing will happen for the UK. You know, it's not like they're going to chuck all that business down the drain because they can't be bothered to do some spring swaps.

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My only worry with this is the definition of airsoft gun...

An “airsoft gun” is a barrelled weapon of any description from which
only a small plastic missile, with kinetic energy at the muzzle of the
weapon that does not exceed the permitted level, can be discharged.

 

Now any airsoft gun can fire any BB of the appropriate size & weight, but it can be made of almost anything, as long as it's a little under 6mm and round it will fire... So no current airsoft gun would be classified as an airsoft gun. If you were to read it that way?

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