Tommikka

I’ve been missing my favourite local Facebook poster during his 30 day ban, he’s just got back and being relatively withdrawn. We also no longer have a bus station in Salisbury and the car park homeless camp was shut down during novichok Got to get the informed and constructive debate from somewhere

12 foot pound low power air weapon - paintball Unaffected by the airsoft joules reduction due to frangibility

Am I allowed to add a footnote that I’m legally allowed to recreationally shoot frangible projectiles at people with my firearms act low powered air weapons at over 16 joules - and still without a licence or certificate?

We have been discussing the painting of an IF into a RIF thus ‘modification’ under the VCRA - which has a maximum 51 week sentence if a crime is committed. Modification by changing parts and increasing the power is a different matter. I’ll get back to that in a minute The VCRA does not care if you can find coloured parts or not. Change a coloured stock to a black stock and you have modified an IF to a RIF which may or may not be illegal based on section 37 defences. You have the option to paint a black stock into an approved VCRA colour which would retain IF status You’ve complained about legal grey areas but keep proposing other grey areas. Now back to increasing the power of an airsoft IF/RIF. Not long ago there was the legal quandary that an airsoft gun was a low power air weapon (firearm) and therefore was strictly speaking not an imitation. If it’s a firearm then the VCRA does not apply and it does not matter what colour it is as it is neither an ‘Imitation Firearm’ or ‘Realistic Imitation Firearm’ (This may trigger another side conversation that an airgun looking like a real steel firearm is both a firearm and an imitation. I shall say it’s not because it’s a firearm, so can’t be an imitation) This contradictory position was removed from the firearms act by adding the statement that a UK compliant airsoft gun within the specified power level and designed to fire plastic BBs is no longer a firearm in the firearms act and falls under VCRA criteria if either an IF or RIF So what if you do modify an airsoft gun and increase its power? It won’t be legal for airsoft skirmishing But it won’t be an illegal firearm Unless it’s power is vastly increased it would now be a low power air weapon Thats a problem in Scotland now with the need for an air weapon certificate, but not in England. It’s just an airgun I have an extensive armoury of low power air weapons which are both realistic and non realistic, but I use them to legally shoot people with UK approved frangible projectiles, and I also have the details from the Home Office stating that’s fine (with an addendum that if a court decided my realistic ones are RIFs then my UKPSF membership will be fine as the skirmisher defence - which certainly wouldn’t stand up in court to scrutiny, however since that statement was made the joules adjustment to legislation was made, and they exceed that power level so are clear of the VCRA and are compliant with approved testing of the frangible projectiles So I’m back with very legal firearms and no need for a firearms certificate By the way - the minimum level of PPE in airsoft is shite. Eye protection that is currently permitted under the law is at the absolute minimum of impact protection, such as glasses with impact protection. Only some airsoft eye protection is adequate to the risk, but as an adult players are permitted to take that personal risk by sites and their insurers. For under 18s it’s recognised as inadequate and they are required to use full face protection (effectively by the insurance industry not being able to offset the sites liability to minors)

In real life the original objective of ‘machine guns’ was to be inconsistent & inaccurate. That meant a high rate of fire and a low level of accuracy was not to deliver a line of bullets in quick succession but a distributed ‘cloud’ which either deny an area suppressing the opposition or hit a wide random selection of advancing opposition. If you’re suppressing then you want a high enough rate of fire to make the opposition hesitate from chancing their ability to run through the spaced out gaps in between them If you have a muzzle velocity of 350fps and a rate of fire of 22rps/bps then each BB has travelled 15.9 feet before the next one follows. (Ignoring deceleration etc) If they are consistent and accurate then your opposition has a gap of almost 16 feet to move in 1/22nd of a second If you’re firing accurately then they just need to keep their head down and dodge that spot

PS where are you getting a 2 years in custody from? The maximum sentence is 51 weeks, which is below one year therefore you would serve half that time, would not be subject to probation and would also get any deductions for time served pending trial. So up to 6 months, which isn’t really enough time to learn a trade & get some qualifications in a Prison Industries workshop There may also either the custodial, a fine or both custodial and fine. The fine is at level 5 fine which isn’t to be sniffed at as this level could now be unlimited in England. Level 5 has previously been £2000, £5000, £10000 9)An offence under this section shall be punishable, on summary conviction— (a)in England and Wales, with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks or with a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or with both; and (b)in Scotland, with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or with a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or with both. http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/PIB extract - Working out how long you will be in prison.pdf https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_scale

What offence has been committed? Painting an IF into a RIF is the same offence as ‘repairing’ an IF by changing coloured parts. (Which would pretty much be changing the body shell) The difference being that painting an IF has paint as evidence. If the intent of the modifier is one of the VCRA defences then no crime has been committed Note that you have referred to grey areas and highlighted that they really are not grey areas. They are an element that is subject to opinion until it’s gone through court. ‘Gifting’ is the grey area. The law details sale, import and manufacture. People have interpreted that giving a RIF/IF to someone under 18 is legal because it is not mentioned. This has not been tested in court. If a court decides that the intent of the VCRA is to place controls on the transfer of RIFs/IFs as opposed to the contractual elements of a sale transaction then gifting a RIF without a defence would be illegal and gifting a RIF/IF to a minor would be illegal That’s the grey area of the VCRA, the section 37 defences are in black and white (taking into account the fact that Airsoft skirmishing is a supplement by statutory instrument)

That prior knowledge could be of a section 36 offence with a section 37 Defence, and therefore prior knowledge that no crime has been committed

Note that I have also (legally) received stolen goods I buy items at auction, some of which are under police auctions of recovered goods I’ve also purchased RIFs at auction without providing any defence, and I have no intent to play airsoft …. The auction may have committed offences …. I have two intents which I have not presented to the auction: 1) act as a seller and will want to see documentation of a defence 2) as an event organiser use the RIFs for players within an insured site

Possession is not an offence The only offence is modification under section 36 of the VCRA, and section 37 covers the defences. The modification in the past could have been fully legally compliant https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/38/section/37 It’s not in the same league as ‘receiving stolen goods’ in that the offence can be repeated into the future and by subsequent people The section 36 offences are manufacture (including modification), import and sale They occur at the time and subsequent changing of hands are either a new offence or are not an offence In the original draft of the VCR bill was an explicit offence of painting / modifying an IF into a RIF which did not have the section 37 defences The final VCR act does not have that as a separate offence - only within 36 which has defences in 37

As the OP is over 18 the ‘normal’ get out clause of gifting isn’t required as the separate offence is selling either an IF or RIF to someone under 18 He could legally be sold an IF or RIF The offence of modifying / painting occurred in the past, and may or may not be defendable due to the fathers intent to play airsoft at insured sites. The OP does not need an explicit UKARA membership etc to have the intent to play airsoft at insured sites, but it is up to the seller to be able to defend against VCRA prosecution for that. As it’s father and son then its fairly reasonable for the father to be able to believe or not believe what the sons intent is. Summary: Modification occurred in the past - if there is an offender then it’s the father Transfer of a free gift - legal grey area / get out clause Sale to someone over 18 with the intent to skirmish/play at an insured site = VCRA compliant

The PayPal rules vary internationally by region. For a while the PayPal rules internationally prevented almost anything gun related but were revised to what is legal in each region. When in a dispute involving a PayPal payment you should raise the issue through the dispute process, the first stages are still just communicating with the seller but it sets the timeframe. Its common for people to email back & forth then attempt a PayPal dispute finding out the time limit has expired There will only generally be rule problems once a PayPal human (or possibly PayPal AI) get involved, in which case they would withdraw from providing the protection services The likelyhood as mentioned above is that the seller refused the refund and complied with the process as far as PayPal were involved

Gold and black would be ‘two tone’ in the sense that they are two colours. Legally though there is no such thing as a requirement for ‘two tone’ the law requires the IF to be clear or over 50% one of the designated bright colours: Sizes and colours which are to be regarded as unrealistic for a real firearm 6.—(1) For the purposes of section 38(3)(b) of the 2006 Act and paragraph 6(3)(b) of Schedule 2 to that Act, the size of an imitation firearm is to be regarded as unrealistic for a real firearm only if the imitation firearm has dimensions that are less than the dimensions specified in paragraph (2). (2) The dimensions specified in this paragraph are a height of 38 millimetres and a length of 70 millimetres. 7.—(1) For the purposes of section 38(3)(b) of the 2006 Act and paragraph 6(3)(b) of Schedule 2 to that Act, a colour is to be regarded as unrealistic for a real firearm only if it is a colour specified in paragraph (2) or if the imitation firearm is made of transparent material. (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.

They could be either: Made of glass Hard material for breaking glass targets (windows etc) (Note that the advert does not specify airsoft - it’s selling ball bearings. On a legal basis in the UK it’s a matter of what you do with them In an airsoft gun my interpretation is that if you load one of these then you now have an air rifle / air weapon - and it might be an offensive weapon For a paintball gun I know that if you load something like this then you have either an air weapon or an offensive weapon. The Home Office recognise gelatine paintballs and First Stirke brand ‘shaped projectiles’ as legitimate for paintball (as a retailer paid for the approvals testing of First Strike in the UK) There are many things like this sold around the world in paintball sizes marketed as less than lethal / home defence Which is illegal here in the UK (other than authorised police and military use) The eBay seller is in China so it’s a matter of eBays worldwide rules and whether they are targeting the UK for eBay.co.uk for its rules The easy solution is to just report to eBay.co.uk

I blamed aches & pains on being old That is a contributing factor - but by drinking water or with hydration tablets/powders such as SIS or High5 I was cured It was abuse of my body rather than just a part of being old that must be accepted

Transiting in the mail is permitted However it can depend on how customs declarations have been completed Or there was an over zealous depot in their handling of transiting items For travelling through Germany (and other countries) there are transit declarations such as this for Frankfurt airport transit: http://www.frankfurt.de/mitnahmeerlaubnis Be aware that there are also other restrictions, such as they must be securely packed in transit, there may be restrictions on attachments (no tactical lights or lasers) A report of someone’s experience could be due to additional factors than just transiting - eg not locking it in a case, lasers being found with them etc The odds are slim of being stopped while passing through a European country, but can happen due to any random reason. eg foreign cars stand out, groups of lads stand out. And very importantly drivers in different countries behave differently which means a foreigner may catch the eye of the police, even something as simple as raising your hand to signal thanks when someone lets you change lanes - in the UK that’s something to be thankful for, in many European countries it’s the default and waving at other drivers is some form or warning or threat https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_issues_in_airsoft

There are no routine borders checks within the Schengen zone, but they can appear at any time Under Covid they have been reinstated by some countries under travel restrictions You can of course be stopped by the police at any time If they are aware of airsoft or paintball events in Germany or around Europe the German police do check travellers Travellingthrough a countries with airsoft guns that don’t comply with their regulations is a risk. To travel through Germany any airsoft guns carried should bear the F stamp. (They should also comply with the legislation covering the F stamp - but that’s another matter)

I used to dance up amongst the speakers, I was there for the peak of walkmans and preferred in ear headphones, I’m fond of blowing things up Im not deaf, but my hearing is very selective

Something like spitfire tracers is fine - it’s just a light Players using blank firers in a game are an absolute no. (Even if they are UK legal with sealed barrels etc) I don’t like the slippery slope trope (ban this today and they will take everything) But for airsoft skirmishing the ‘realism’ factor is the only reason why the skirmisher defence was added, establishing skirmishing as a level of ‘playing reenactment’ Stating that we don’t need any realism means there is no need for RIFs Definitely no to flame flashes out of a barrel, yes if you want it with light up flashes, yes to appropriate recreational pyro and yes to suitably managed ‘display’ pyro

Any offence was committed at the time that it was painted (Modification of an IF into a RIF) In the first drafts of the VCR bill this was a standalone offence, in the final VCRA it’s arguable that the intent of airsoft skirmishing becomes a valid Defence to the original offence of painting it Gifting is a grey area - It’s a technical work around normally applied to players under the age of 18 as they cannot purchase either an IF or RIF He could sell it to you if he wishes, as you are over 18 so can legally buy an IF or RIF You don’t have UKARA membership to document yourself as an airsofter, but if he can satisfy himself that your intent is to play airsoft skirmishing on insured sites then that is all the law requires, and a sale of a RIF is legal However nobody will know or care how you came to be in possession of an IF that has been painted.

It doesn’t necessarily show in text but the intent of my posts was meant to be the opposite (valid strawman there of how you read them) on the basis that doing a CQB course could be: 1) Just a days out experience of doing doorkicking Nothing wrong with that in itself but it won’t give number 2 (I’ve watched person number one go left scanning their zone and person number two going right scanning their zone with both of them getting shot by the defender in the middle - just blinkered going through the motions) 2) Learning doorkicking & room clearing in context - why do this and that, and refined into gameplay situations - are you happy to sacrifice yourself for difficult clearance and quickly respawn or medic heal, or is it a major ballache to walk half a mile to the safe zone so you prefer a steady slow clearance My questions were aimed at how to choose training / experiences and what an individual wants out of it The speedsofters have skills to offer too. (Unless they have dressed up and are all the gear no idea running around in circles) then they are applying a tactic In paintball I’ve done some competitive tournaments, fun on those occasions but not my kind of thing to pursue or to put in the commitment to keep it up. However I still took part in training sessions to learn and relearn skills and to iron out bad habits from years in the woods. I’ve done a fair bit of doorkicking & CQB myself - run by training companies of ex soldiers, and also run some CQB sessions ourselves - close up, indoor & outdoor and in context of gameplay

That’s the thing. If it’s ‘eliminate everyone because it’s airsoft’ then 9/10 times the speedsofter will win. If I’ve designed the mission as ‘rescue the VIP’ then the speedsofter will fail the entire mission in two seconds, and the defenders will have the advantage over gamers who think they can stack up in doorways. The group who’ve prepared for rapid sacrificial CQB can draw out the defenders from their shadowy hiding spots and have one final player alive to bring out the VIP The conjecture with nothing to do with airsoft is about understanding the tactics - knowing why they are what they are and how to apply them to situations It’s also why there is a generation of ex soldiers with valid CQB experience. CQB isn’t just the realm of special forces, it was the bread and butter of quite a few ‘ordinary’ infantry for a few years recently clearing compounds and buildings.

1) Yes I can afford and can get hold of plenty pyro (However I do have a sponsorship relationship with a pyro company) 2) This is key, and reflects some of the earlier posters comments. What is ‘CQB training’ for? Playing games is different to real life, a rapid run through often wins and when it doesn’t you just go back and respawn Is the ‘instructor’ just going to teach and run through some drills, or are they going to teach the strategy behind those drills so that you can understand them and apply the right ones at the right time? Additionally the abundant use of pyro might actually be the wrong way to do it Why are you going in? Do you want to kill/eliminate everyone you encounter? Are there friendlies that may be coming in other doors? Are you rescuing someone? If you go too slow will the hostages get executed? If you go too fast will the hostages get caught in the crossfire? In real life - why are you bothering to do CQB when you could just bomb the place and drive tanks over the rubble? The answer today would be because of the innocent civilians, the answer in Stalingrad was that by destroying the city without immediately defeating the Russians inside it that the Germans created the perfect defences for the Russians to hide in

Guinness confirmed, but won’t list my measurements as they deem that world record to be ‘inappropriate’ Many records these days are about trying to find something that hasn’t been listed before, so if you have some reasonable criteria than you have an instant record - and when you’re beat at least you were first. The other is about hype and advertising. The ‘longest’ paintball shot has existed in a few ways, such as the worlds longest shot - but unofficial because it was just a side ‘competition’ at an event Then a few organisers do it as well and either try to refine it guaranteeing a new ‘longest’ shot or they just make a traders puff with claims and ignore anything else One might go to the bother of booking an official adjudicator to turn up and gain the official longest shot These go hand in hand with publicity stunt ‘advertising’ such as the guy who got all the Daily Mail headlines with a paintball tester job vacancy at £50000 per year ….. plus small print - zero hours contract hourly rate equivalent to £50000 per annum The job being a Marshall / gopher zero hours contract including a photo opportunity getting shot for the Daily Mail follow up story On another tack though…. 81.1 metres is nothing Everyone should be queuing up with their ninja springer snipers from Bbguns4less that can shoot a nats left testical at 500 miles

There is a point often missed that real life weapon design is based on function. Stocks traditionally are as close as possible to being aligned with the barrel straight from front to back due to the physics of firearms and the force of recoil. They have the steadying function of a solid hold to assist in accuracy and in minimising lift and keeping the barrel on target. They also contribute to the ergonomics of the weapon. There is always a compromise between these and other functions. In gameplay as opposed to real firearms the physics differ, but part of the appeal is to look like real firearms so you get the variations between speedsoft ergonimics and skirmishing looks. In real firearms technology changes, with various calibers and propellant mixes plus other elements of the firearms design. Thus you get oddities like dropped stocks appearing in real firearms as the balance of physics and ergonomics changes