Owning a gun without TT with no UKARA

[Kofey]

Sorry if this has been asked already but I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.

 

I'm not registered with UKARA as I've only been on site once. Would it be illegal to:

 

- Buy a gun which isn't two-tone from a friend OR be gifted one from a friend?

- Use that gun to do airsoft at a site somewhere?

[dapprman]

Buy/trade a gun from a friend - yes illegal

Be given a gun by a friend and not give anything back - nope not illegal

Use at a site - no not illegal

[CES_williamson]

you cant buy the gun from him at all with money or gifts or anything that is illegal, as said above

If he gives you the gun out of the goodness of his heart as a gift and thats it and just he is giving it away then thats legal.

Using the gun is fine at a site or not, owning one isnt the problem either its the buying of it, so if he gives you the gun as a gift there is no reason why you cant keep it and use it!

[Moose87]

Both of the above are wrong. It is illegal to sell a gun not buy one. If your friend knows you which i assume he does as hes your friend and knows you will be playing airsoft then that is good enough defence in terms of the law. Its a thin line but buying and selling between friends who play isnt illegal as the selling party can prove they know them and that they play which is all th defense you need. As long as your mate can prove you play then its legal.

[dapprman]

Both of the above are wrong. It is illegal to sell a gun not buy one. If your friend knows you which i assume he does as hes your friend and knows you will be playing airsoft then that is good enough defence in terms of the law. Its a thin line but buying and selling between friends who play isnt illegal as the selling party can prove they know them and that they play which is all th defense you need. As long as your mate can prove you play then its legal.

He has to prove you already regularly play at an insured site, not that you will be.

 

If in doubt, you're over 18, and you will be getting a usable defence (i.e. UKARA or play enough at a regular site that they can be contacted to confirm you are an active present airsoft player), the you could get your friend to lend you the gun then you buy it off him once you're covered.

 

As to the above - the onus is on the seller, but the law is on both the buyer and the seller.

[Moose87]

He only has to prove if the police come knocking and they are only gonna come knocking if he has used it in appropriately. Which by that point it wont matter where he got it. The law doesnt state how many times you have to have been to be a skirmisher. Also the vcra law is to do with the sale, importation and manufacture of rifs & ifs not the purchasing. This is why the ukara was set up to protect retailers. It is not illegal to buy a rif with out ukara or such like. Simply being a skirmisher is proof enough. Just difficult to prove. If an offence is commited they have to prove you commited an offence and that you sold it illegally. As sites recordbwho plays there then thst is enough proof. If his friend knows hes been to a skirmish then there is no offence commited as he has bought it for the intended use of skirmishinģ.

[Kofey]

Thanks a lot for the answers guys. It makes sense now