Someone doesn't like UKARA, or here we go again

[AtomicAirsoft]

I mean the site I go to is UKARA reg, they stick to the time frame, but they don't charge. As long as you have played once in 6 months at the site they renew it every year for you.

 

[BigAl]

II’ll see your Baby Fox, cub or whatever the other one was and raise you a Basil Brush.



Now please god let this subject lie.

 

[DoomPossum]

But you wouldn't let it lie!

 

[ruskitseller]

Being entirely uninterested in having to go to the same place 3 times in a year to maintain a defence, the basic idea resonates greatly with me personally.

I've not been anywhere for some time that didn't require you to pay for a site membership once you had your 3 games done in order for them to put you on the (super non-transparent) UKARA database. I presume they exist given the comments, but I've not been to one, so that element is a non-issue for me.

Will it hold up, be run effectively and securely look after people's data? Only time will tell.

Click to shrink...

I'm entirely with you here. And a side rant: The VCRA is absolutely ridiculous when you look at the silly loopholes:

• The Lethargic Lethality Loop: Any adult can walk in and buy a .22 air pistol with no defence. But to buy a 1-joule plastic toy just because it's black, you have to prove you're a skirmisher. ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄
• The Onerous Ownership Own: Under the VCRA, it is an offence to buy, sell, import, or manufacture a Realistic Imitation Firearm (RIF) without a defence. But it is 100% legal to own one. If a mate gifts you a RIF for free, absolutely no laws are broken and UKARA route obsolete. ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄
• The Terrible Two-Tone Trap: Anyone over 18 can buy a bright blue two-tone replica. But the second you paint it black or swap the panels to match your kit, the law claims you are 'manufacturing a firearm'. ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄

I am not saying there shouldn't be regulations - there absolutely should. But UKARA is not a government license and it is not mentioned in the VCRA - when I first started out, I was sort of under the impression it was. Yes I dun gawt ma YOUKARA laasance Maarleen!

As far as I understand it, the law simply states that to buy a RIF, you need a 'valid defence' - which means proving you need it for a permitted activity like film, theatre, historical re-enactment, or airsoft skirmishing at an insured site. UKARA is just a privately owned database created by retailers (aka Frank) to track that defence. But it’s essentially a VCRA cash cow that some sites use to lock you into their own memberships as you have to play with them 3 times over a silly amount of months. Not against site memberships though or sites using it - all well meaning!

But I mention all that because it's exactly why alternative platforms and systems have popped up. Not saying I agree with all of these, who is behind them and their intentions either. But I do believe they are technically legal - and while different to "Airsoft Defence", for example Justcos still exists after 9 years unhindered. The VCRA doesn’t mandate UKARA; it mandates evidence that you are an active player. A digital platform like Airsoft Defence does exactly that: it acts as a secure, legally compliant registry that tracks your game attendance across multiple sites to prove your skirmisher status. In a way, it breaks the monopoly and stops players from being forced to play one specific woodland site just to stay on a database.

Just before there is a potential pile in - I will reiterate that I do believe in the regulation of airsoft, I just think it should be sensible and consistent.

Cheers.

 

[Galvatron]

• The Lethargic Lethality Loop: Any adult can walk in and buy a .22 air pistol with no defence. But to buy a 1-joule plastic toy just because it's black, you have to prove you're a skirmisher. ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄

Click to shrink...

With no proof of a "certain" policing system in the UK, this is a practical example of the two-tier legislation system. Airguns were protected because there were enthusiasts who happened to also be lobbyists making sizeable party donations. Airsoft had no such lobbying so sales of airsoft toys were controlled more strictly with VCRA.

 

[Nick G]

Couple of thought spring to mind .
Who is respnsible for updating attendance ? if it's self done then that is open to all sorts of abuse . If the game site does it , that is an extra workload for the staff , or if there is some sort of a siwpey card that you use then the site will presumably have a cost attached to the card reader .