Taking under 18's shooting

[FredDixon1989]

Hello, I am over 20 and go shooting down at NTAC

My friend has permission for him and his friends to shoot for free on this private land. Last time I went down we were with some 15/14 year olds who were friends of my friends and they asked me to supervise them in the future.

I am just interested and to advise them, to know what would happen in the UK if police caught the 14/15 year old's down in the pirvate woods without an 18yr old present? Would they get there guns taken off them and would they get a criminal record.

Thank you.

Please reply asap because I need to stop these kids soon if they are going to get in trouble.

Thanks

 

[Deva]

Do the 14/15 year olds have permission or just you?

 

[wildilwh09]

If you got caught and said that you were rehersing for a play, would that be a good defence because your allowed to use airsoft guns for play purposes. and to reherse. Well, thats what wiki said.

 

[FredDixon1989]

Do the 14/15 year olds have permission or just you?

My FRIEND has permission to go shooting there with his friends and everyone who is going knows this guy who has permission. In other words yes. But what would happen to the kids if they got caught without an 18year old.

Thanks, :-D

 

[lemon191]

finius will be your best bet for legal information and im sure he will be along at some point. but the use/ownership isnt restricted only the sale of them, so i dont think legally they need someone supervising them (although common sense they should have someone obviously) just make sure they know they are only allowed them visable to anyone when they are on private land away from any public area AND where people are(it may be private land but ive seen plenty of people who go walking through land without permission because it isnt fenced off /sign posted etc.) as if anyone sees them the armed police will be called and they will be treated like they are holding a real weapon. they can be taken off them to be checked over to make sure they are airsoft guns but i dont think they can destroy them without a good reason to.

as for criminal record as long as they are on the land with permission and acting apropriatly then they are not doing anything wrong to get one.

if however they have them out in public then that will get them in trouble so will any kind of threatening behavior with the guns.

also get the permission to use the land in writing that will help if any problems arise and will prevent the owner from denying everything.

if the kids are genuinely rehearsing for a play that requires them to be there with the guns then yes BUT you will need to be able to prove this as with any other defence SO DO NOT TRY AND LIE it will only cause more problems for you and the sport as a whole

 

[FredDixon1989]

finius will be your best bet for legal information and im sure he will be along at some point. but the use/ownership isnt restricted only the sale of them, so i dont think legally they need someone supervising them (although common sense they should have someone obviously) just make sure they know they are only allowed them visable to anyone when they are on private land away from any public area AND where people are(it may be private land but ive seen plenty of people who go walking through land without permission because it isnt fenced off /sign posted etc.) as if anyone sees them the armed police will be called and they will be treated like they are holding a real weapon. they can be taken off them to be checked over to make sure they are airsoft guns but i dont think they can destroy them without a good reason to.as for criminal record as long as they are on the land with permission and acting apropriatly then they are not doing anything wrong to get one.

if however they have them out in public then that will get them in trouble so will any kind of threatening behavior with the guns.

Wow, thank you very much.

Everyone has permission to go shooting, everyone is very clever and will wear goggles, stop at any sight of people, never leave boundaries, never open there bag in public, and will generally be very well behaved. All looks well. Would still like to have that confirmed by funius though as everyone seems to trust his advice.

Thanks for everyone for helping. :-D

 

[lemon191]

just make sure he knows everything he will be able to advise although your best bet just contact your local police station as they will be the ones sent out to deal with any problems, they should be happy to help clarify the situation and if they know in advance they will be happier because it will make their jobs easier should they get a call about kids in the area with guns.

 

[Finius]

My advice would be to call the local police, ask to speak to the firearms officer, let him know the situation.

He will advise you of any special precautions that HE would like you to take. In essence, you are quite within your rights to use the land, however there are a myriad of laws regarding a pellet in flight traveling off of permitted areas etc, so he may ask you to use cordons and whatnot.

Having them there playing without an adult is not something I would advise; no police officer is ever going to accept that children have gained appropriate permission from a landowner to go run around with airsoft guns and so what will ensue will be a detention until they are proven right or wrong; if the landowner defaults on his permission due to police involvement (he may fear getting himself into trouble, also quite possible), they will then have nothing backing up their claims.

There's a menagerie of other reasons I'd advise against this, but if you want a purely legal definition, then as long as you take all the required precautions, you're fine; just remember, the legal system is flexible and that can work both for and against you, be careful.

If you do go ahead with this, please PM me and I will provide a list of things you should do/acquire to make sure you're as safe as you can be.

 

[ScoobySnacks]

Firstly, to forestall the police doubting permission, make sure that they get WRITTEN permission from the land owner. Does the land owner know that they are there? Has he actually given permission for the kids, or just to your friend. If he has only given permission to your friend, and hasn't specifically said he can give permission to others then your friend has no right to give others permission, and so they are there illegally.

As airsoft guns are very low powered (I know it doesn't feel like it when you take a hit on the finger at close range but they are) they generally fall outside the provisions of the various firearms acts (these apply to "lethal, barreled weapons" and anything as low powered as an airsoft gun is not considered "lethal") most of the restrictions on age etc. do not apply. If the guns are considered realistic, then they might have to show how they got hold of them, but possession itself is not illegal.

The limitations about pellets crossing boundaries only applies to air weapons that are classed as firearms, but it's never a good idea to fire weapons so that the projectiles end up where you can't see, and where you don't have permission to be, as it asks for complaints to be made. Whether there is any offence committed, it's NOT fun looking down the barrel of a very real, very loaded MP5.

As for contacting your local firearms enquiry officer, I'd steer clear. You are not dealing with a firearm, and they will inevitably try to impose conditions on you which have no basis in law, or public safety. If you must, inform them that you will be carrying out a lawful activity on the land, but don't give them the chance to stick their oar in. Most are ok, but some will try to spoil it. I'm sure that FEO isn't a job from someone who is rabidly anti-shooting, but it would appear that some most certainly are.

So if everyone has proper permission, and you are sensible, then no offence will be committed. If you start shooting at passers by, running along the fencelines with your RIF's on display and generally being twats then expect to be arrested and to receive a good b########g at the very least. They may well seize the weapons, for testing to ensure they are legal. They won't be able to legally seize them permanently, as long as no offence has been committed, but it's amazing the damage a gun can suffer rolling around the boot of a police car. The coppers don't care for your guns, expect to get them back damaged. I've seen £2000 full bore rifles come back from seizure with scratched stocks and barrels, and even an air rifle with a bent barrel. Now I'm not saying the police would deliberately damage property as some kind of unofficial sanction, and knocks and scratches could well happen if a gun is placed un-bagged in the boot of a car, but a bent barrel???