Tommikka

I do / did like a good game in foul weather.
 
A couple of memorable ones were:
 
1) Falklands themed game with authentic weather. Many players had gone home before lunchtime, parts of the safe zone were blowing away, I was soaked through and covered in mud but had multiple sets of clothes allowing me to change at the break and to change for the drive home with the prospects of soaking in a hot bath when home.
(this game also gave me the stories of my broadcasting expletives on box when poking my head into a window, and the husband of a colleague arriving home to find his wife laundering my stinking bin bag of playing clothes)
 
2) A snowy Christmas game where I thought that I was being clever with a set of thermals.
Lovely and toasty for the morning brief, sweaty mess for game one
 
 
I would typically be fine if I’m enjoying myself in the cold and wet - provided I can look forward to later and I’ve prepared.
My body dislikes the heat, and it’s easier to warm up then cool down 
But I do now have Raynaud’s phenomenon  (like Raynaud’s syndrome but I’m special) - this is also just in one finger tip!
Raynaud’s plus cold equals pain - so I now don’t like the cold and I don’t like the heat
 
A couple of weeks back I declined the option of a game - early Sunday morning on a miserable day in a standard woods site - a warm lie in won.
Improve one of the factors and I may have been up for it
 

Only if they're working for another company contracted to provide security etc, staff directly working "in house" don't. The only exceptions to this are door supervision in licenced premises or vehicle imobilisation (NI only)

I'm unsure why you would think that. 
I hold an SIA licence, but it's not required to wear a body cam.
You'd only need a licence if you weren't working for the Airsoft place and then only if you were watching the footage.
 
Sia licences are to regulate the security industry, if you are working for the place that has the CCTV you don't need a licence. Otherwise someone in a school or shop would need an SIA licence.
 
All you'd need to do to comply with data protection is have a policy and stick to it. Main thing being keep the video for the least amount of time you need to.

Depends on what you mean by “displayed here”
 
This is an airsoft forum.  Blank firing guns are not relevant.
No matter what form of venting 
 
If you however are referring to physically ‘displaying’ blank firers in a location in the UK (eg mounting them on a wall display) then UK LEGALLY COMPLIANT blank firers are legal to possess, without legal controls other than common sense (they do not need to be stored in gun cabinets etc) But should not be accessible to minors or in sight from inappropriate locations - hung up on the wall near a window could result in police at the door to investigate 
 
Most importantly, forward venting blank firers are not UK legal, and would be treated as a Section 5 firearm.  You would need a firearms licence, which is unlikely to be authorised for a blank firer, and would need to be stored in an approved gun cabinet 
 
 

If you're in the the UK then either get rid of it or never show it to anyone as its illegal.
If the vent is not straight through from the breech then its a film prop and can ONLY be owned with a Film/TV Armorer certificate.
If the vent is straight from the breech like a normal barrel then its totally illegal and would be treated as a section 5 firearm so VERY bad to own.
 
 

Depends on what you mean by “displayed here”
 
This is an airsoft forum.  Blank firing guns are not relevant.
No matter what form of venting 
 
If you however are referring to physically ‘displaying’ blank firers in a location in the UK (eg mounting them on a wall display) then UK LEGALLY COMPLIANT blank firers are legal to possess, without legal controls other than common sense (they do not need to be stored in gun cabinets etc) But should not be accessible to minors or in sight from inappropriate locations - hung up on the wall near a window could result in police at the door to investigate 
 
Most importantly, forward venting blank firers are not UK legal, and would be treated as a Section 5 firearm.  You would need a firearms licence, which is unlikely to be authorised for a blank firer, and would need to be stored in an approved gun cabinet 
 
 

Depends on what you mean by “displayed here”
 
This is an airsoft forum.  Blank firing guns are not relevant.
No matter what form of venting 
 
If you however are referring to physically ‘displaying’ blank firers in a location in the UK (eg mounting them on a wall display) then UK LEGALLY COMPLIANT blank firers are legal to possess, without legal controls other than common sense (they do not need to be stored in gun cabinets etc) But should not be accessible to minors or in sight from inappropriate locations - hung up on the wall near a window could result in police at the door to investigate 
 
Most importantly, forward venting blank firers are not UK legal, and would be treated as a Section 5 firearm.  You would need a firearms licence, which is unlikely to be authorised for a blank firer, and would need to be stored in an approved gun cabinet 
 
 

I'm very responsible.
I'm responsible for breaking the washing machine,(even though I don't use it), responsible for loosing the shed key,black marks on the Egyptian bathroom towels,I'll give her that one. Oh and I'm responsible for putting holes in the plant pots.yeah me again🫣

Sadly, it appears that we'd have to be Responsible Persons.  

This is an airsoft site. Why would you want to show us anything other than airsoft guns?

GDPR requires information held to be used for the purposes for which that information was collected 
 
Using the GDPR as an excuse to not confirm details could be a breach of the GDPR in itself - particularly if the subject provided their reference details to a third party on the basis that the third party may request verification
 
 
 
An address is personal data, the GDPR does not prevent the release of personal data - but to do so must be valid 
 
Technically a UKARA members address could be released, but the most practical outcome would be a query of whether or not ABC1234 matches with Joe Bloggs of 1 The Avenue.  A nice simple match would be a yes or no. Less simple would be that Joe Bloggs has moved, but that goes beyond an easy yes or no and becomes dependent on the policy under which the data was collected 
eg should it be a simple no that there isn’t a 100% match or something inbetween ?  - which probably shouldn’t be in the remit of a friendly site / retailer 
I’m sure there have been cases highlighted on this forum of issues occurring on import etc due to to customs blockage because of an import to a work address that doesn’t match the players UKARA registered address 

GDPR requires information held to be used for the purposes for which that information was collected 
 
Using the GDPR as an excuse to not confirm details could be a breach of the GDPR in itself - particularly if the subject provided their reference details to a third party on the basis that the third party may request verification
 
 
 
An address is personal data, the GDPR does not prevent the release of personal data - but to do so must be valid 
 
Technically a UKARA members address could be released, but the most practical outcome would be a query of whether or not ABC1234 matches with Joe Bloggs of 1 The Avenue.  A nice simple match would be a yes or no. Less simple would be that Joe Bloggs has moved, but that goes beyond an easy yes or no and becomes dependent on the policy under which the data was collected 
eg should it be a simple no that there isn’t a 100% match or something inbetween ?  - which probably shouldn’t be in the remit of a friendly site / retailer 
I’m sure there have been cases highlighted on this forum of issues occurring on import etc due to to customs blockage because of an import to a work address that doesn’t match the players UKARA registered address 

GDPR requires information held to be used for the purposes for which that information was collected 
 
Using the GDPR as an excuse to not confirm details could be a breach of the GDPR in itself - particularly if the subject provided their reference details to a third party on the basis that the third party may request verification
 
 
 
An address is personal data, the GDPR does not prevent the release of personal data - but to do so must be valid 
 
Technically a UKARA members address could be released, but the most practical outcome would be a query of whether or not ABC1234 matches with Joe Bloggs of 1 The Avenue.  A nice simple match would be a yes or no. Less simple would be that Joe Bloggs has moved, but that goes beyond an easy yes or no and becomes dependent on the policy under which the data was collected 
eg should it be a simple no that there isn’t a 100% match or something inbetween ?  - which probably shouldn’t be in the remit of a friendly site / retailer 
I’m sure there have been cases highlighted on this forum of issues occurring on import etc due to to customs blockage because of an import to a work address that doesn’t match the players UKARA registered address 

Interesting reading chaps.  I'm surprised (but thinking about it shouldn't be) that a suppressor can make a significant difference.
 
But then I suppose I have my head close to the gearbox of my pews compared to a few feet away when lamenting the apparent silence of other's; so there's a certain amount of misconception I suppose.

My understanding is there are a number of friendly retailers, such as firesupport, that are happy to confirm the validity of ukara details, including the address for delivery. 

I don't assume anything, by your own admission researching a seller is extra effort & you'd rather go to a retailer, a as I previously said, your money, your choice. 
The point being discussed, that many don't agree with, understandably, is the defence of cosplay has little bearing on airsoft, open to abuse by non airsofters, which in turn puts everything at risk for the genuine players. 
I sympathise with your situation, I too provide 24/7 care, literally day & night, to a relative, unpaid I should add, who is disabled & has dementia.
Add to that I've been receiving cancer treatment since 2021, & severe orthopaedic issues mean I currently can't climb or descend a flight of stairs unaided, so I know exactly how hard it can be to attend games, or even cope with getting around some sites.
(I'm determined to not let the health crap force me to quit) 
Cosplay would have been piss easy for me to use to buy rifs, but I don't agree with it for Airsoft rifs for all the reasons previously mentioned, maybe cosplayers and reenactors should have been made to go down the route of deacts or similar, in order to not "muddy the waters" for airsofters. 
& as has been mentioned, maybe people like you & I, who find themselves in difficult personal situations should have more flexible options for attaining a ukara defence. 
I'll put this out there as a general question, for example has anyone ever approached a site where they've started playing, but for whatever reason have had a protracted break between games, & asked the site to honour the previous games & make an allowance for the time away ?, allowing players get ukara approval. 

As this topic covers a few areas, and to make a dedicated thread, I’ve added the above mentioned information plus some other information arising from the Just-Cos membership / policy 
 
 
I’ve contacted Just-Cos about some of the issues, so we’ll see what happens

It does seem to defeat the whole premise of VCRA if anyone can bypass it for £20
 
It is just a legal loophole, that is what it is
 
Although arguably, VCRA is only a deterrent really, if one is determined to do crime they can rattle can a two-tone with a £5 can of black paint
 
And if you are really just an airsofter playing legitimate airsoft, I have to agree £20 is less than three games of rental which costed me £90
 
Although the three rental games actually helped inform my first purchase so it can reduce the risk of wrong purchases, if someone jumps the gun and invest in something but later regret it, that is going to cost more than the £70 difference (worse if someone decides airsoft isn't for them within three games)
 
So I guess (as a new player) if you are certain about the RIF you want and not regret it, £70 is £70
 
Of course it doesn't apply to older players who already have their own RIF which is just a matter of playing another three games vs £20 bypass, in this case I don't see it as much of a problem
 
The only scenario where this might become a problem is if someone uses the £20 bypass to get an RIF and then do a crime, which might make the court examine the "standard of proof of defence" question i.e. is a photo sufficient proof of "organisation and holding of permitted activities" (as per Defences to an offence under section 36 of the 2006 Act or under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to that Act).
 
If a photo is sufficient, the loophole will stay.
 
If a photo is insufficient, the loophole is plugged, but the court will have to say what is considered sufficient.
 
And arguably a photo should be enough proof as this is probably a common standard of proof in other areas of laws.
--
 
PS on second thought, a photo alone is probably not enough, the retailer also needs to check a photo ID to make sure it is the same person in the photo, so the person should really be identifiable in the photo, along with the clear indication of the nature of the activity itself

Despite playing regularly I haven't had an active site membership for a couple of years but I've still managed to get my hands on rifs, it just takes a bit more effort.
 
The big issue with schemes like just cos is that our defence was given on the basis that the airsoft community would be self policing. So when retailers are actively looking to promote ways of selling rifs to people without them ever setting foot on a site it comes across as a big middle finger to those who put in the work getting our defence. Not to mention the fact that said defence could easily be taken away at the stroke of a pen so they're potentially putting the hobby (and their own business) at risk

Isn't airsoft predicated on honouring both the letter and spirit of the rules, even if that results in personal disadvantage?  🤔

Like I said I wasn’t having a pop at you and I do understand your argument and emphasise with you. The rules and laws clearly aren’t perfect and penalise those that shouldn’t always be penalised. 
 
I think perhaps as a collective we could come together and find a solution that benefits everyone that wants to play and not just buy a rif for nefarious reason. 
 
The issue you have highlighted has quite simply shows how easy it is for bad actors to purchase rif’s.
 
I was in no way suggesting you are a bad actor or anything other than a good bloke who just wants to enjoy Airsoft.  
 
 

Whilst I agree with @superwokpremise that for casual players it is hard to obtain and get UKARA current, I can’t help but think this leaves a bitter taste for those that go regularly and get UKARA current. 
 
I am in no way saying that superwok is the at fault here or that I blame him. It’s simply frustrating that the very retailers that agree to partake in this scheme, that lots of people subscribe too, are finding a way around it. 
 
 

Nosey buggers and people who think they're funny were the reason I switched from a hard case to a soft rifle bag for travelling on public transport. All too often I'd get some twat who thought they were funny saying "what's in the box, a machine gun?".

Weeks? Years more like!
 
 

No, it doesn’t 
 
The 4 + 13 events that I referenced for this year are comicons, steam punk shows (cosplay with a higher average age) and alt cons (alternative people)
 
I don’t go as a paying customer/public, I’m not a member of a cosplay society, but I go as a trader.  Existing PLI that I’m under could exclude anything odd
 
 
A personal liability insurance for dressing up, carrying equipment / props might have actually been appropriate 
But it doesn’t insure me, and there is no such thing as a cosplay defence for RIFs
 
In the other recent thread a different member of the forum signed up to Just-Cos to buy a RIF - the shop required him to send a photo playing airsoft which is what they will have used as a defence 
 
 
( Note that I don’t even need a defence to buy airsoft RIFs - I don’t play airsoft, but I do run paintball & airsoft events)