Can I buy a black airsoft gun without a license but then paint it a bright colour?

[Rhead]

Hello , my name is rhead and recently I’ve been looking into airsoft in the UK. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a few years now and I finally have a decent amount of money to buy a nice gun , the gun is a m16 has powered with real blow back effect and it is very sexy but I don’t have a license to buy a black coloured gun for UK law , so my question over all is could I buy the gun and then paint it in certain places to show that it’s a toy until I get my license?

[Jedi_Master]

Firstly, it is not a license. You require a defence to purchase a RIF. If you are over 18 then you can but a Two Tone Imitation Firearm (IF) which has bight paint to show that it is a toy.

 

Have a read of the pinned (sticky) posts in each section, lots of useful information to help new players learn about the hobby.

 

 

[Heath]

Short answer? No.  Long answer? Noooooooooooo. You need a defense (not a license) to purchase a Realistic Imitation Firearm. Unfortunately they won't let you buy it on the promise that you'll paint it an unrealistic colour. 

[Musica]

2 hours ago, Rhead said:

but I don’t have a license to buy a black coloured gun for UK law , so my question over all is could I buy the gun and then paint it in certain places to show that it’s a toy until I get my license?

most shops will paint it for you.

[Tommikka]

3 hours ago, Rhead said:

Hello , my name is rhead and recently I’ve been looking into airsoft in the UK. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a few years now and I finally have a decent amount of money to buy a nice gun , the gun is a m16 has powered with real blow back effect and it is very sexy but I don’t have a license to buy a black coloured gun for UK law , so my question over all is could I buy the gun and then paint it in certain places to show that it’s a toy until I get my license?

If you buy in the UK without a valid defence then any offence under the VCRA  is committed by the seller.

A reputable retailer will either paint it to two tone or decline the sale.

 

[Steveocee]

If you've been looking at getting into it a while but haven't played yet. Go and rent for a few games. You might not like getting shot. Then once you've rented for maybe 3 games you can get the site to apply for your UKARA and then buy a RIF without the need to be a 2-Tone peasant.

[LSUK]

7 hours ago, Steveocee said:

If you've been looking at getting into it a while but haven't played yet. Go and rent for a few games. You might not like getting shot. Then once you've rented for maybe 3 games you can get the site to apply for your UKARA and then buy a RIF without the need to be a 2-Tone peasant.

Exactly how i started. I only rented a few times then my friend let me borrow his spare gun. Before i knew it i had my UKARA and was able to buy my own.

Much better in my opinion to rent and hold off buying a lime green eyesore, as you're going to be putting a decent amount of money into a gun which you will want to change as soon as you get your UKARA.

 

It may feel like forever but it is definitely worth waiting until you get your UKARA. ?

[Bugss]

hello im just thinking if my mate has a ukara can he buy a black gun can i buy it off hem ?

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Bugss said:

hello im just thinking if my mate has a ukara can he buy a black gun can i buy it off hem ?

Absolutely you can. He’s still committing an offence though lol

[Bugss]

hahah hill be alright. thanks

[Tommikka]

1 hour ago, Bugss said:

hahah hill be alright. thanks

As long as he’ll alright with a £2500+ fine

 

Its unlikely to be caught doing this, but under the VCRA he would be responsible for selling to you

[Musica]

7 hours ago, Bugss said:

hello im just thinking if my mate has a ukara can he buy a black gun can i buy it off hem ?

why not buy a two tone? any good paint job needs a good base coat applied first.

[Martin ktm640]

Hello Everyone! Just purchased few things from known online BB gun shop. As new to airsoft I understand that you can only buy 2 ton due to non UKRAR. So I open the box and there she is all in black. Can someone tell me if it’s ok to have a RIF without UKARA. Or this should never happen and it’s a shop fault for sending me the wrong colour. Don’t know what to do. Sorry if the post is in the topic. Thanks for your help.

[Tommikka]

27 minutes ago, Martin ktm640 said:

Hello Everyone! Just purchased few things from known online BB gun shop. As new to airsoft I understand that you can only buy 2 ton due to non UKRAR. So I open the box and there she is all in black. Can someone tell me if it’s ok to have a RIF without UKARA. Or this should never happen and it’s a shop fault for sending me the wrong colour. Don’t know what to do. Sorry if the post is in the topic. Thanks for your help.

Nothing that you need to do now

The shop should have established your defence - if you don’t intend to play airsoft at insured sites (or have another defence such as a museum, theatre, film) then they have committed an offence

[Redbulldave]

On 09/02/2020 at 14:58, rocketdogbert said:

Absolutely you can. He’s still committing an offence though lol

I thought his mate could gift it to him and it would be legal 

[Tommikka]

19 minutes ago, Redbulldave said:

I thought his mate could gift it to him and it would be legal 

‘Gifting’ is a workaround for underage players who are too young to purchase at all.

Nothing to do with colour - Its an offence to sell an airsoft gun to under 18s whether IF or RIF.

 

If his friend buys a RIF using his own UKARA then he would be committing fraud to bypass the VCRA

 

Then if the friend just gives it to the non UKARA holder then that could be VCRA compliant on handover, but the original fraud would still apply

 

If the friend fraudulently purchased and the non UKARA holder paid then he would be committing fraud and making an illegal non VCRA sale of a RIF at risk of a £1000 to £2000 fine for the illegal sale