UKARA Question.

[LewisAirsofter]

Hello, I'm 15 years old and I would like to get into airsoft. But I was wondering if somebody in my family was over 18 and had a UKARA could they gift me a black gun and would I be allowed to use it at skirmishes. Thank you.

[Sacarathe]

Hello, I'm 15 years old and I would like to get into airsoft.

 

Awesome, how long have you been playing? You might get better value from a two tone rather than hiring, if you're sure you will like and play airsoft.

 

But I was wondering if somebody in my family was over 18 and had a UKARA could they gift me a black gun

 

There is no laws or rules regarding imitation firearms and gifts.

 

 

But I was wondering if somebody in my family was over 18 and had a UKARA could they gift me a black gun

 

There are many colours considered realistic, given you're only 15 and you've a long time to go before buying your own stuff i'd say have an adult in your family buy you a two tone gun in the £120-£160 range.

 

G&G Combat Machines (CM16/18) look okay with two tone rails, grip and stock. If you're holding the gun, the grip is in your hand, the stock in your shoulder and the rails covered with accessories it really wont matter.

 

And you will save your 'adult' a lot of pain, stress, and unease, over doing something perfectly legal.

 

Plus, the costs of bringing that adult along, paying hire, you're looking at an expenditure i'd expect £50 per person per game, whereas just £200 up front for a gun with batteries/charger + magazines (go mid cap!) is much more economical. And you can resell the gun if you don't like airsoft later.

 

and would I be allowed to use it at skirmishes. Thank you.

 

UKARA and ownership are not related, only the 'sale of' is regulated. No one can tell you that you cannot possess or use any airsoft gun for airsoft on this basis.

[LewisAirsofter]

Thanks for the great response, I've been playing down at the woods near by with a mate for 2-3 months but we want to get into skirmishes and milsim. I currently have a AK47 but I'm trying to purchase a M4. I asked my Dad and he said he'd get a UKARA to gift me a black gun also he's into it aswell. I'm paying my dad the money for the gun. So could you definitely confirm that if my dad got a UKARA, bought a black gun and gifted it to me it would be legal? Thank you.

[Longshot]

I'm paying my dad the money for the gun.

The gun he's giving you as a gift?

 

You understand what a 'gift' is, right?

[LewisAirsofter]

Well as I said I'm new to airsoft but as gift I mean he gives it to me too use at skirmishes.

[Longshot]

Look, I'll be honest. The quick answer to your question is 'yes,' if he has UKARA he can therefore buy a 'black gun' and give it to you.

 

HASSLE NOTE: he's going to have to play at least three games over a period greater than two months (probably at the same site) before he can get sorted on the UKARA database.

 

LEGAL NOTE: if he gives you the gun and you give him nothing in exchange it could be considered a 'gift,' if you give him something for the gun, like you've said you will, it's not a gift, and then laws are being broken.

[Sacarathe]

TBH, unless your local sites don't support simplified UKARA registration (ie they don't stamp forms) its all moot, your dad can get on the database in due course, his past games will count as long as the site has proof he's played before.

 

As long as he's handing over the cash at the point of sale, you'll be fine. It's not UKARA that prevents children buying imitation firearms its the Law and though they could refuse to sell to you (they'll be thinking better we get the money than some cowboy outfit), airsoft is not taken nearly as serious as airguns and real guns by anyone close to it, and that's very unlikely.

[LewisAirsofter]

Thank you for your help guys.

[Mos]

Yeah, a gift is a gift, and you can't exchange any money for this gift.Lets say... Eh, this rule gets bent very easily...

 

don't get me wrong, go by the rules... Anyways, when you get a two tone gun, I've found the paint to magically disappear (legit, this does happen, rubs off with your hand..) but aslong As you don't accidently put some fairy wash stuff on it..

 

I spilt fairy wash, unfortunately my gun was under it - good try but probably won't get you anywhere, but then I ask myself, why would mr.policeman come and look at my gun? Well, only if he needs to, so don't wave it around in the public, or take it on walks, or put it in the pram, or take it shopping, keep it in its box.

 

You'll be alright, there's lots of laws regarding airsoft RIFs... But, aslong as you're not an idiot with the equipment, all other airsofters won't have a problem. Neither will mr.policeman.

 

[Mos]

I'm not trying to get you to engage in breaking laws. Just before anyone gets angry with me.

[Sacarathe]

You'll be alright, there's lots of laws regarding airsoft RIFs... But, aslong as you're not an idiot with the equipment, all other airsofters won't have a problem. Neither will mr.policeman.

 

 

Law abiding citizens won't have a problem with others circumventing those laws(?)... to merit quicker gains. I call BS!

[Lozart]

I'm not trying to get you to engage in breaking laws. Just before anyone gets angry with me.

 

So don't tell him how to then.

[Sacarathe]

So don't tell him how to then.

 

Think I broke my report post button. :S

[Mos]

the morale of my post was to try and get him/her to not do anything stupid that gains attention from the public. I imagine a fair few people have lost the colour of the two tone due to friction with their hands and just general wear & use, and was telling them to not get worried if this happens.

 

These two points link, if your two tone rubs off and ends up looking like a RIF, well there's no problem there, because as long as you don't wave your gun in public, take it for walks, bath it in t.. Why will anyone care? As you are just the normal citizen, playing by the rules, not causing any mayhem or madness and not being stupid. Therefore you won't get done by anyone/anything.

 

If you're not stupid = no police alert

If your paint rubs off, and looks like you have a RIF, but are still not stupid = no police alert.

(They're the same results)

 

or, as soon as your two tone paint rubs off, slap some pink right back on... And have it look half-assed.

 

can we all agree, just don't be stupid, and nobody ELSE will care/notice?

I for sure don't go up to people and inspect there guns and ask them about their current state of law with UKARA, wether they should have RIFs or not..

[Sacarathe]

the morale of my post was to try and get him/her to not do anything stupid that gains attention from the public. I imagine a fair few people have lost the colour of the two tone due to friction with their hands and just general wear & use, and was telling them to not get worried if this happens.

 

These two points link, if your two tone rubs off and ends up looking like a RIF, well there's no problem there, because as long as you don't wave your gun in public, take it for walks, bath it in t.. Why will anyone care? As you are just the normal citizen, playing by the rules, not causing any mayhem or madness and not being stupid. Therefore you won't get done by anyone/anything.

 

If you're not stupid = no police alert

If your paint rubs off, and looks like you have a RIF, but are still not stupid = no police alert.

(They're the same results)

 

or, as soon as your two tone paint rubs off, slap some pink right back on... And have it look half-assed.

 

can we all agree, just don't be stupid, and nobody ELSE will care/notice?

I for sure don't go up to people and inspect there guns and ask them about their current state of law with UKARA, wether they should have RIFs or not..

 

If we encourage people to break the law, defence or not, we encourage the law to take a closer look at the sport, at a time when a relevant Bill is in parliament is a poor time to go telling people these things.

 

Yes, UKARA is an expected [effective] defence and yes being an 'airsoft player' should be a sufficient [defence/reasonable excuse] to manufacture a realistic IF, but neither you nor I are qualified to say that it will be.

 

http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules

 

Read this. Technically[actually] having a belief that you have an applicable defence does not make illegal conduct legal, thus you're breaking the forum rules by categorically stating what the police will [in your opinion] do, in relation to an offence you're suggesting to be meaningless.

 

Many of us comment that being an airsofter should theoretically be [enough of a defence], but UKARA saved the sport, don't be the one to encourage the first airsofter to try the law in court and lose.

[Mos]

though, you won't get into deep crp if you behave...

 

therefore, behave, and everyone's happy

[Shizbazki]

Hi LewisAirsofter

 

Let start with some basic facts:

Your 15

You have someone in your family over 18 (your dad) who may be interested in Airsoft as well (great stuff)

You want a black gun, cool no problem really

You want to use it at Skirmish sites, ok

Also I am a police officer

 

So basically you want to get into airsoft at the age of 15 years old and you want a black gun.

 

Firstly i would recommend that you and your dad go to a proper Airsoft site and rent the guns first time, see if you really like it and if its something you would like to do in the long run especially if your gonna drop a ton of cash into the sport, (trust me its always one more gun and accessory).

 

Ok so you have played and loved every second of it, so does your dad and you guys want to do it again, yay!

 

You have two options now, buy gun NOW! or buy gun LATER.

 

Buy gun NOW! (not recommended)

Ok so you cant wait, you want to get your hands on the very best Airsoft gun your budget can stretch to, well your dad will be stuck to buying two tone guns.

 

So he gets you a two one BB gun, depending on what model or type of gun you have a few options ranging from totally legal to questionable/grey area/are of "What if's"

You can:

Tape method: Buy black duck tape or fabric camo tape and tape up the parts that are two tone, this is totally legal as the tape is considered a temporary colour and so does not count.

Stripping the paint or spray painting over the two tone: I would not recommend this as it will make you gun look tacky and could be considered contrary to the VCRA, if you are set on doing this i would recommend you strip rather than paint over, i cant tell you how to strip the paint but there are previously mentioned ways.

Upgrade: Depending on the model,style and what's been painted as two tone you could probably replace those parts, i had a friend who had a two tone AEG with a bright green stock, pistol grip and non RIS handguard. The stock and pistol grip were replaced with cheap after market parts to make them black again, the front handguard was totally replaced from a non RIS handguard to a picatinny rail system, essentially his AEG was made totally not two tone.

 

Buy gun LATER! (recommended)

Your dad now has to play 2 further games (remember you have already played one above) over a period of more than 2 months, so don't bunch it all in there quick, play a few games spread over a 3 months period, ideally at the same site to ensure continuity.

 

So your dad gets a UKARA number and is now entitled to buy black guns, he and you go to a airsoft store be it in person or online, select a gun for you, he hands over the cash, UKARA is checked, and is fine, you walk out of the shop and he turns and says "here you go son, your gift", you will reply "thanks dad" and leave it at that. As soon as you give any service or money to him for the gun, he not you, will break the VCRA law as he has technically given you the gun for monetary gain.

 

Rather than pay your dad (which you shouldn't do) why not ask him to gift it to you now as a late/early birthday present so that he does not have to remember getting something for you later.

 

You can now attend any site now with your black, freely gifted gun and exchange plastic pleasantries with other airsofters.

 

Points to note:

You mention "I've been playing down at the woods near by with a mate for 2-3 months but we want to get into skirmishes and milsim", by this do you mean a public place or a registered Airsoft site? Because if this is a public place where any member of the public can waltz on into then be very careful, even if you say its somewhere that no one is ever likely to come across then think about it, i said any member of public, what are you? a Member of public so if your there then it's somewhere the public can go and you have therefore technically committed an offence of being in possession of an imitation firearm in a public place. If its at an Airsoft site then please carry on playing

 

As other have pointed out, never show your Airsoft gun in public, somethings are best left hidden from an already scared and jumpy public post Paris, Ivory Coast terrorist attacks etc keep the guns in bags or cases going from home to airsoft and back again. The general UK public cant tell the difference between a real gun and obvious toy gun let alone the very realistic Airsoft guns we play with, even police officers will have a hard time telling real guns from airsoft ones, i have even seen a registered airsoft players entire armoury seized by police because half my colleagues cant tell the difference between airsoft guns and real ones even after i asked why they spent the last 3 hours seizing, bagging and tagging every gun, magazine etc when i pointed out that he was legally allowed to own Airsoft guns, her reply was "but they are guns", I sighed and left.

 

As for gun you should get, someone mentioned the G&G Combat Machine range, very good and reliable guns they are and you should start on the M4 platform as it has a myriad of options to upgrade and accessories. Dont forget essentials like EYE PROTECTION, combat vests, clothing, gloves, hats, boots, extra mags and batteries.

[Sacarathe]

Black guns lol.