UKARA gifting

[jmccall9947]

hi there.im 14 and want to get in to airsoft. one of my relatives has a ukara license. my parents do not. the law states that you can recieve an rif under 18 as a gift but not in exchange for goods or services. however, if it was my parents that gave him the money for it but he bought it and gave it to me as a gift, is that legal?. would i have to go to the same site as him? i live far away from his site. i am new to airsoft so sorry for my lack of knowledge.

 

[Tommikka]

hi there.im 14 and want to get in to airsoft. one of my relatives has a ukara license. my parents do not. the law states that you can recieve an rif under 18 as a gift but not in exchange for goods or services. however, if it was my parents that gave him the money for it but he bought it and gave it to me as a gift, is that legal?. would i have to go to the same site as him? i live far away from his site. i am new to airsoft so sorry for my lack of knowledge.

Click to shrink...

The part about gifting to you is fine

Your parents giving him the money isn't, that makes a financial transaction rather than a gift and they have no VCRA defence

In the eye of the law your parents have bought a RIF through a third party then gifted it to you

 

[Jedi_Master]

My opinion is that it is not legal because even trying to circumvent the system your uncle is still receiving payment in exchange for the gun being gifted. The UKARA scheme is a database and issue a player number not a licence.  If you lived closer then you could go with your uncle and use a RIF he owns. You can play on any site, although some may have age restrictions or require an adult to accompany you.

 

[Rogerborg]

Why not get booked in for a session first to see if you enjoy it before dropping hundreds on a gun?  As above, your local site is likely going to want you to be supervised anyway, so you'll have to deal with that as well.

 

[jmccall9947]

thanks im going for my first time on saturday with my friends.

 

[Rogerborg]

Neat, I'm in for my first session this Sunday, so I understand the temptation to get geared up, and the frustration with the VCRA laws.  Hang in there though.

Have you checked the age conditions at your site?  All OK?

 

[jcheeseright]

'Gifting' is a load of bullshit anyway.

 

[Rogerborg]

The whole VCRA seems to be a mess, but why specifically gifting?

VCRA 2006 sticks to "sells" rather than "supplies", even in the part that amends S24 of the Firearms Act 1968 that deals explicitly with gifting firearms, shotguns and air guns to minors: firearms at 14, shotguns at 15, air weapons or ammunition at 18 because apparently it was written in Opposite World.  But VCRA avoids creating an offence for gifting RIFs or IFs, i.e. airsoft guns, regardless of age.

It does make it an offence for an under-18 year old to buy even a non-realistic imitation firearm, which at face value means it's jail time for Little Timmy for buying a toy ray gun, mind.

 

[Jedi_Master]

It does make it an offence for an under-18 year old to buy even a non-realistic imitation firearm, which at face value means it's jail time for Little Timmy for buying a toy ray gun, mind.

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You are using a confusing mix of terminology.  It is illegal for an under 18 to buy an Imitation Firearm (IF) or a Realistic IF (RIF); definitions in S38 of the VCRA, I think the key word is "firearm".  No issue with Little Timmy purchasing a toy gun because it does not look like or could be thought to be a firearm, i.e. its size and/or colour.