no ukara can i camo my gun?

[commanderpegasus420]

Im at a loss wether i have to have a 2 tone?

I own 2 airsoft guns (recently bought) which are bright blue. I have had a look at the vcra act including airsoft guns and im still unsure wether i can repaint them?

The part im unsure about is in the vcra act states...

Cant modify without a defence.

But rhen states a defence is attending airsoft with 3rd party insurance.

Really lost as to wether i can do a paintjob or not.

I intend to only use it for airsoft and no other purpose. 

Does this define me within the right to modify the guns?

Pegasus

 

[Jedi_Master]

Have a read of this topic:

 

[commanderpegasus420]

I was just reading through that but so many side tracks of airguns and nerf guns etc.

I really need a clear yes or no on this one.

 

[Rogerborg]

There is no clear answer.  Sorry, but that's the way the legislation was written.

• It's an offence to modify an IF into a RIF.  Always, for everyone. There's no licence to do so.
  
• If it ever becomes an issue, you can argue that you have a defence.  The burden is on you to provide evidence of that.
  
• There's no guarantee that your defence will be accepted by the court, but then the chances of you requiring one are vanishingly small.  I'm not aware of any case law or reports of any airsofter being charged, let alone convicted, of modifying a IF into a RIF.
  

What you do is entirely down to your tolerance for risk.

For what it's worth, I de-Smurfed both my guns the moment I got them.  I didn't have a UKARA number and still don't.  I had (and have) sessions booked at the local CQB site, so that's my defence, the same one I'd use if I were stopped on the way there or back and asked what I was doing in possession of imitation firearms.

Up to you.

 

[commanderpegasus420]

Thats sound advice. 

So basicly as long as i have a phone number to the sight im gna play at to give proof of my attendance or a receipt then i could do a paintjob and be fine if stop n searched?

 

[Rogerborg]

That would be my belief.

Given the recent appalling treatment of the airsofter who got done by ScotPlod and the Fiscal for posting some pictures of himself, nothing is certain.  But membership of UKARA (a retailer scheme, nothing to do with the State) is neither necessary as a defence, nor is it guaranteed to be sufficient as one.  It wasn't for the chap in question.

We all just have to make our own judgement call.  If you're being sensible, you'll have to be extremely unlucky for it to be an issue.

 

[Tommikka]

What Rogerborg said

UKARA is the retailers protection from prosecution under the VCRA as a reasonable method of ensuring a buyer has a valid ‘defence’ under the act to buy a RIF

Temporarily covering a two tone when on site, eg with camo form tape is valid

It was my original reading of the bill/act (a decade ago) that there was a specific entry in the VCRA and it is always an offence to paint over a two tone into a RIF (irrespective of defence), but there have been other interpretations (or there may have been rewording) that it may possibly be valid to use your defence and qualify as ‘manufacturing or modifying’ 

Use your judgement, avoid doing any silly stuff, and avoid attracting attention.  Defiantly don’t post photos anywhere of you painting it

 

[Jedi_Master]

I will stick with :

For the purpose of skirmishing you can temporarily cover the two-tone paint, i.e. using camouflage tape.  Putting camouflaged tape over a two-tone at a skirmish is permissible due to being a temporary modification purely for the game.  After the skirmish the tape is removed.  Sniper tape is a cheap way to cover the gun for a game day and is then easy to remove afterwards. 

Better still, get site membership, sell the two-tone and get a RIF. 

 

[Albiscuit]

My understanding is you need a defense to modify your 2 tone into a RIF (painting it counts) but you are an airsofter, if you play, have the gear, are known to a shop or site, hell even logging into here could losely count then you have a defense.

But like with everything its all about interpretation. I cant recall ever reading about an airsofter getting stopped on the way to a game and even if you did a copper wouldnt know what a UKARA is or how to check and 90% of the time (if your not waving it around on the tube) would be more intrigued as to what it was about and wish you a good day!!