Machine guns

[ImTriggerHappy]

Simple fact is all guns should be within legal limits as they need to be for any site to allow players to use them.

Lots of scaremongering comments on this thread though. I don't think someone getting caught with a hot gun will ever have an impact on the sport as I doubt the police really give a toss what airsofters do, so the only one to get caught will be a scrote misusing one. Then the police will just use the fact it is illegal to help sentence the moron. The whole Lord Shrewsbury thing a few years back settled down most of the ill informed stuff and actually helped in the fact everything became clearer.

What will screw things up is some idiot getting shot while waving one around in the street. The biggest danger is not whether they are dangerous to use it is the fact they look so real and can be used to intimidate people. 

I doubt people posting stuff on forums will have any effect as the powers that be don't really look. The Lord Shrewsbury thing showed that because when airsoft was discussed the people involved were clueless as they just jumped to conclusions and didn't really look at what it was.

Simple answer is if the gun is full auto no matter what it pretends to be (they are all the same just dressed in different clothes) it falls under the same laws as any other full auto airsoft gun.

 

[Tommikka]

I wouldn't even venture to think to write such a comment. Supplying your own rope and all that.

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Only if he is operating a fully automatic Airsoft gun in excess of the legal power limit 

This is a forum, a place of discussion and advice

@Rogerborg has given some advice on the legal risks of an overpowered Airsoft gun 

 

[Stratton Oakmont]

Only if he is operating a fully automatic Airsoft gun in excess of the legal power limit 

This is a forum, a place of discussion and advice

@Rogerborg has given some advice on the legal risks of an overpowered Airsoft gun 

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I don't disagree with either of you, 1j is not the legal limit though

if he was referring to N.I specifically then I apologise for misinterpreting the post.

 

[Tommikka]

We go out and play games that involve shooting our mates

We use guns that are restricted within the legal constraints to permit them to be used recreationally to shoot people, along with the appropriate safety measures.

The guns are therefore not relatively restricted by the physics of their real life counterparts, there are some restrictions of the physics of a particularly short or a particularly long barrel, (balls exiting a pistols barrel may not have achieved its optimum, and a long rifle may exceed the length that benefits the ball) but in general a BB of any given mass exits the barrel as close to the permitted velocity as the user can get.

Add consistency and efficiency to the ranges that we play and pretty much any gun type can perform as well as any other gun type, it’s a matter of how ‘well’ it is setup and the circumstances. 

The alternative is to bring in rules on use, which as an organizer is a major pain in the arse.  Outside of ‘proper’ milsim I would say that is impractical, and at relatively low numbers 

A local crowd of regulars could do this to a degree - if it fits how they all like to play.  It’s possible, but comes with the disadvantage of potential arguments should an outsider dare to play and not know all the unwritten local rules 

The key part of the game is to have fun, provided you stay legal and obey rules, then you can use what you want and how you want

I don't disagree with either of you, 1j is not the legal limit though

if he was referring to N.I specifically then I apologise for misinterpreting the post.

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The Firearms act revisions aren’t NI specific (there are of course still specific provisions for NI)

Previously Airsoft guns would align as an ‘air weapon’ under legislation, the latest Airsoft exemption takes them out provided they meet the Airsoft definition (including energy).  Without fitting that definition then they would sit back into firearms legislation and either be an unlicensed air weapon or a section five firearm.

In a similar manner paintball does not have that line, for the majority of legislation paintball guns are air weapons .... and probably air pistols, which would cause legal issues on energy /

velocity.  But with the backup of case law and the acceptance of paintballs being frangible paintball is safe.  It’s not exempt from the firearms legislation (load the wrong projectile and you head back towards air weapon and potentially  section 5 depending on circumstances) and also the VCRA.

 

[Rogerborg]

Lots of scaremongering comments on this thread though.

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Eh, who doesn't like a good flap and gnash.  But if I was that bothered, I wouldn't be trying to get my toys up to 349.99 (that's recurring, of course) fps on 0.2g.

I don't think someone getting caught with a hot gun will ever have an impact on the sport as I doubt the police really give a toss what airsofters do, so the only one to get caught will be a scrote misusing one.

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Absolutely agree, it's a minimal risk.  And if you're that risk averse, why do a hobby where you get hard plastic shot at your face at up to 2.5J (plus the creep).

 

[EvilMonkee]

RIFT Airsoft offer a different approach to this. Designated Support guns(that actually look like support guns) are allowed 370fps, but must be used as intended. 

Mounted/Bipod out, 3 second trigger pulls, and acting sensibly with it. No one there has abused said rules and I think it works really well.

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This is what Gunman Airsoft events do too.  Plus semi only for rifles and limited ammo, really makes having a support weapon in the squad worth it.