Painting a orange tip on a 2 tone airsoft rifle legality

[Guest airsoftjake123]

Hello,

I have recently ordered the valken mk3.

(long M4)

I got the rifle 2 toned as I do not have a ukara. When the rifle arrived it had a huge orange tip which cannot be removed due to very strong glue because it was imported from the US.

I want to paint the orange tip black but leave the 2 tone as it is a blue snake tone finish and I want to stay on the right side of the law. (the rifle will still be 50% blue)

The only worry I have is if I spray the orange tip black will this be breaking the law or class as manufacturing a RIF?

 

The legal bit I read:

 

"Under Section 36 of the V.C.R Act it is a criminal offence to alter the appearance or paint in a colour of an imitation firearm to make it into a realistic firearm."

 

Thanks 

 

  

 

[Jez_Armstrong]

It's fine to paint the flash hider 

[Guest airsoftjake123]

Hello, 

@Jez_Armstrong

Thanks for the response.

I just thought it classed as changing the appearance of the Airsoft rifle.

Does it not?

Thanks 

[mp5a4]

Unless you're making it less than 51% a bright colour and turning it into a RIF. you can modify it how you please. 

[Tommikka]

10 hours ago, airsoftjake123 said:

Hello, 

@Jez_Armstrong

Thanks for the response.

I just thought it classed as changing the appearance of the Airsoft rifle.

Does it not?

Thanks 

You would be ‘altering the colour’

But won’t be ‘making it into a RIF’

 

Provided the body remains > 50% of one of the approved colours then it remains an IF

 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2606/regulation/7/made

 

An IF can be transparent or >50% brightly coloured

2) The colours specified in this paragraph are—

(a)bright red;

(b)bright orange;

(c)bright yellow;

(d)bright green;

(e)bright pink;

(f)bright purple; and

(g)bright blue.

 

 Orange tips are meaningless in UK legislation

[Rogerborg]

Good on you for asking, but as above, you're fine to do it - and practically speaking, as long as you use it sensibly, it'll never be an issue anyway.

 

Sorry to hear that the flash hider is glued on.  You can generally use heat to deal with that, if you can get the plastic handguard away from the metal bits.  Also, have you checked that it's not a grub screw holding it on?  They can be hard to spot.

[Guest airsoftjake123]

Hello,

Thank you all for the great responses. After thinking long and hard I will be painting the tip bright blue to go with the tradition of the rest of the 2 tone.

Many thanks 

 

[Guest airsoftjake123]

Hello Everyone.

Good news!!!

I managed to remove the orange tip with a heat gun!

There are no laws prohibiting me putting on black barrel extensions are they?

Or can anyone suggest a blue amplifier for sale in the uk?

Thank

 

Edited March 14, 2023 by airsoftjake123

[Rogerborg]

Great news.  Nah, you're fine.  As above, as long as over half of it is "bright blue" (and there's no definition of what constitutes bright) then it's still not a realistic imitation firearm.

 

If you want to check the laws yourself:

 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/38/section/38 - "[the] principal colour", i.e. over half.  On a strict reading, something that's 34% orange, 33% black and 33% grey would meet that definition, but I wouldn't try to get cute about it.

 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2606/regulation/7/made - non-realistic colours, including "bright blue".

 

That's really all we've got to go on, and bear in mind that a lot of the "two tones" sold by retailers don't actually meet that definition, either on coverage, or on the brightness of the paint.  Not a problem for us, the offence is committed by the seller.

 

Not really a problem for you either as long as you're transporting it to or from an airsoft site, or using it there. It just won't be an issue.  But please do be aware that public possession of any imitation firearm, whether realistic or a scaled down orange toy springer, is an offence under Firearms Act 1968 Section 19, and requires a positive defence of a "reasonable excuse" - i.e. taking it to or from airsoft.

[Guest airsoftjake123]

Hello everyone. Thank you for the advise