Friend's Mum UKARA Membership

[Tackle]

Duno if mosesman831 is still around but the short version is; A UKARA member CAN buy a 'Realistic Imitation Firearm' (RIF) and GIFT it to you as a present.

Only the UKARA member can purchase a RIF.

BUT if it is seen in public or even reported by neighbours when using it at home then the Police will get involved and the person who gave it to you could get in trouble.

If you accidentally shoot someone in the eye or a pet etc then jail time could be involved for the person who gave it to you.

So if you do get one you'll have to be very responsible and treat it like a real firearm, including gun safety and avoiding any public person seeing it.  If you want to use it in the garden then best to let the neighbours know its not real. (Legally a BB is not allowed to leave your property)

If you want to actually play airsoft you will be allowed to use it at a game site with no questions where you got it.  As long as you have good eye and face protection.  You'll  probably need a full face mask as you're 14.

Completely agree, 100%, you give a kid a rifle & they fuck up, gotta take part of the blame for not driving home the responsibility of gun ownership. 

My son was around 9 when he first attended a skirmish, presented himself well, obeyed the rules & didn't let me down. 

BUT, he has an annoying habit of saying "I know" when your telling him something important that needs to sink in (I blame his mother lol), so when I bought him his first rif & gave him "the talk", & he said "I know", I made the conscious decision to allow him to keep his guns in his room, secured in gun bags, but with no bb's, batteries, or gas, that way I wouldn't have to replace any flat screen tvs, or explain to his mates parents why their lad lost an eye. 

Fast forward, the rules still apply, he's 26 & still lives at home, & has quite a few rifs. 

Some might say I've been too controlling on this, but to explain a parable situation, he's been with his longtime gf bout 6 years, pair of total nerds who would always both admit to having no maternal instincts, never wanting kids, so I'd always warn him "belt & braces son, take nothing for granted", & of course his default response would as always was "I know", & I'd roll my eyes lol. 

BUT I now have a 3yo granddaughter, love her to bits but who was right, me ffs?. 

I think when it comes to involving anybody else in ANY shooting/projectile pastimes, whether that person is young or old, I take the same attitude as when I'm driving/riding, assume everyone else around you is an idiot lol. 

 

[EDcase]

INo, UKARA is just a scheme for retailers that makes it easier for them to sell to, presumably, the right people. It's handy to have but you can purchase without it.

Yeah, technically true but how many people actually  use the other defences ?

 

[Tackle]

Yeah, technically true but how many people actually  use the other defences ?

LOL, I made my own defence, seems to satisfy people. ?

 

[Pseudotectonic]

 

[Rogerborg]

To me the moment anyone starts  actively looking for loopholes to get their hands on a rif/if when they legally shouldn't be able to is a massive red flag. 

I'd argue that asking if they can is a better sign than not asking at all.

 

[mosesman831]

Completely agree, 100%, you give a kid a rifle & they fuck up, gotta take part of the blame for not driving home the responsibility of gun ownership. 

My son was around 9 when he first attended a skirmish, presented himself well, obeyed the rules & didn't let me down. 

BUT, he has an annoying habit of saying "I know" when your telling him something important that needs to sink in (I blame his mother lol), so when I bought him his first rif & gave him "the talk", & he said "I know", I made the conscious decision to allow him to keep his guns in his room, secured in gun bags, but with no bb's, batteries, or gas, that way I wouldn't have to replace any flat screen tvs, or explain to his mates parents why their lad lost an eye. 

Fast forward, the rules still apply, he's 26 & still lives at home, & has quite a few rifs. 

Some might say I've been too controlling on this, but to explain a parable situation, he's been with his longtime gf bout 6 years, pair of total nerds who would always both admit to having no maternal instincts, never wanting kids, so I'd always warn him "belt & braces son, take nothing for granted", & of course his default response would as always was "I know", & I'd roll my eyes lol. 

BUT I now have a 3yo granddaughter, love her to bits but who was right, me ffs?. 

I think when it comes to involving anybody else in ANY shooting/projectile pastimes, whether that person is young or old, I take the same attitude as when I'm driving/riding, assume everyone else around you is an idiot lol. 

I wouldn’t fuck up. I had played airsoft before at Hong Kong once or twice, but it wasn’t my own gear… Still some experience is better than none.

*Just to clarify, I am 14, and my intention is to ‘play’ it in a registered airsoft field.*

Duno if mosesman831 is still around but the short version is; A UKARA member CAN buy a 'Realistic Imitation Firearm' (RIF) and GIFT it to you as a present.

Only the UKARA member can purchase a RIF.

BUT if it is seen in public or even reported by neighbours when using it at home then the Police will get involved and the person who gave it to you could get in trouble.

If you accidentally shoot someone in the eye or a pet etc then jail time could be involved for the person who gave it to you.

So if you do get one you'll have to be very responsible and treat it like a real firearm, including gun safety and avoiding any public person seeing it.  If you want to use it in the garden then best to let the neighbours know its not real. (Legally a BB is not allowed to leave your property)

If you want to actually play airsoft you will be allowed to use it at a game site with no questions where you got it.  As long as you have good eye and face protection.  You'll  probably need a full face mask as you're 14.

Your meaning of ‘full face mask’ is a paintball mask or (Goggles + mesh mask) because I was going for the 2 piece, didn’t know 1 piece was needed. But for CQB, 1 piece is better right?

just fax there

Thank you for everyone who replied.

also I will try not to shoot people in the eye.. ?️ ?️ 
 

 

[Rogerborg]

Your meaning of ‘full face mask’ is a paintball mask or (Goggles + mesh mask) because I was going for the 2 piece, didn’t know 1 piece was needed. But for CQB, 1 piece is better right?

Yes, it's common (although not universal) for sites to require under 16s to wear a paintball style mask - Dye, Valken or similar - whether CQB or woodland. I prefer one for CQB anyway.

The risk I flagged above isn't so much you shooting someone in the eye, you seem pretty sensible. It's your mates getting their grubby mitts on your gun(s) and showing less restraint.  One incident we know of where a lad did lose an eye was when his friend picked up his gun in a safe zone and shot him in the face with it. The mag was out, but it hadn't been cleared.

Even if Stifler's Mom is minded to buy and "gift" you a RIF, I'd check with your own parents how they feel about it. They may quite reasonably point out that if you only need to use it at an airsoft site then it should only be in your possession at the site, and not on your bedroom wall.

 

[Jez_Armstrong]

Pics of your mates mum please, that's the only way we can give you the best answer 

 

[Tommikka]

Your meaning of ‘full face mask’ is a paintball mask or (Goggles + mesh mask) because I was going for the 2 piece, didn’t know 1 piece was needed. But for CQB, 1 piece is better right?

Full face means just that - cover the full face.

In airsoft there isn’t an established eye protection standard, in paintball the standard is full face protection 

Paintball began with random eye protection (most commonly workshop goggles, but also snow goggles etc) and a gentleman’s agreement to not shoot at the head.

When losing teeth players attached an extra cover 

The accepted paintball standards are for eye protection (the lens) with appropriate impact protection, plus a seal around the eye area.  Added to that in the goggle standards are full face cover (subject to head size), ear cover plus chin strap

Site insurance & accompanying risk assessments/mitigaions specify full face goggles, to international standards and unmodified 

(Chin straps get discarded, but for up to one year the requirement was enforced at tournaments due to a set of goggles being flipped and a barrel stabbed into the players face just below their eye —— and then were promptly forgotten)

The general minimum airsoft eye protection is based on impact, and it’s common to see glasses style eye protection.

For under 18s the insurance etc require full face protection, and permit ‘responsible adults’ to decide by themselves

Its a matter of site policy whether two part upper & lower are acceptable or a full goggle 

I recommend a full goggle - and I’d prefer the same for adults.

No single goggle is suitable for all.  They should be tried on for fit and comfort 

There’s no need to spend £££s on the ‘best’ premium goggle.

My favourite & most comfortable goggles that I have put on are a unique design but are not legal anywhere and have never made it to full production

My favourite goggles that meet standards are VForce grills, and I have a few pairs

My second favourite goggles are the very basic VForce Armour which disappeared when on loan and the Sly/Valken annex - they are cheap with hard plastic but they fit my head just right and are very comfortable 

To keep things simple and acceptable at any site a paintball style goggle will comply, whereas an upper plus lower may or may not be accepted by different sites 

 

[Cannonfodder]

Your meaning of ‘full face mask’ is a paintball mask or (Goggles + mesh mask) because I was going for the 2 piece, didn’t know 1 piece was needed. But for CQB, 1 piece is better right?

As others have posted, some sites are ok with 2 piece face protection whereas others will require 1 piece so check with the site beforehand. 

Naturally a 1 piece mask will offer more coverage as Murphy's law dictates that no matter how small the gap between the two a bb will find that one little gap.

As for which is better, unfortunately that's matter of personal preference as they both have advantages and disadvantages, for example while a 1 piece mask will give better coverage many of them do make it difficult to get a good sight picture as the mask can get in the way when aiming down the sights.

 

[Rogerborg]

As others have posted, some sites are ok with 2 piece face protection whereas others will require 1 piece so check with the site beforehand.

My locals seem to be consistent with:

Under 18 = full face covered, which can be separate eye and lower face protection, or a single piece full face mask.

Under 16 = single piece full face mask only.

It's entirely up to your local site(s) and their insurer(s) though.

Something I'd flag up is that Amazon and eBay have a plethora of £20-ish full face masks being sold for airsoft use which then fess up in the details that they are not rated for even ~1.1J impacts.

I'd stick to actual paintball brand-names like Dye or Valken when buying a mask.

 

[Cannonfodder]

Something I'd flag up is that Amazon and eBay have a plethora of £20-ish full face masks being sold for airsoft use which then fess up in the details that they are not rated for even ~1.1J impacts.

This times infinity. While you might save a few quid if they fail you could loose alot more. The same goes for second hand face protection, it may be a reputable brand but you don't know the history of it so could already be damaged even if they appear fine