Airsoft Action 03 - Dec 2011 | Page 5

C limbing onto soapboxes isn’t a regular hobby of mine but something has been bugging me recently, and I need to get it off my chest. It is of course that wonderful piece of legislation, The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (VCRA) and the confusion surrounding it. The VCRA, so far as I am aware, is the only piece of UK legislation that has passed through Parliament and into British law that directly impacts airsoft. The VCRA makes it an offence to manufacture, create (from an imitation firearm), sell or import (directly or indirectly) a realistic imitation firearm (RIF) into Great Britain. Defences exist in the law to allow the importation of airsoft weapons for business purposes, and of course the VCRA created specific defences for players. It does not make it an offence to buy, own, use, give as a gift, award as a prize or donate a RIF . Since I became editor of Airsoft Action I have heard so many different interpretations of the VCRA it is no wonder so many airsofters out there are confused by it. Here’s some of the crap I’ve heard recently: apparently there’s a UKARA law; you need a license to play airsoft; you can’t legally play if you are under 18; you must be a member of UKARA to purchase a RIF; and you’re not allowed to give a RIF as a present. These and many other ‘facts’ are utterly untrue. As a buyer, the only stipulation the VCRA makes is that you must not be “under the age of eighteen” when purchasing an imitation firearm. So I make this simple request: When discussing the VCRA, whether commenting or advising on, making a statement about or quoting from the act, please make sure you have read and understood it first. Anything else just propagates this confusion. I recently had a conversation with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) about this very subject. BASC has produced an excellent guide to the whole of the VCRA which you can download from its website (visit bit.ly/VCRAct) and, in the not too distant future, may well be producing a guide specifically relating to RIFs, so watch this space. Now, time to get off the soapbox! Keep safe, Nige Editor: Nigel Streeter Assistant editor: Anthony Platt Art Director: Chris Sweeney Ad design: Ryan Dixon, Steve Dawson Advertising: Hannah Benson Operations director: James Folkard Assistant publisher: Ruth Burgess Editorial director: James Marchington Publisher: Wesley Stanton Full UK 13-issue subscription rate: £59.40 For overseas prices visit: www.airsoftactionmagazine.com Blaze Publishing, Lawrence House, Morrell Street Leamington Spa.Warwickshire. CV32 5SZ Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] E: [email protected] W: www.blazepublishing.co.uk © Blaze Publishing Limited, 2011 Distribution: Distributed to the newstrade by Comag Magazine Marketing, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE T: 01895 433 800 Copyright © Blaze Publishing Limited 2011. All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the publishers in writing. The opinions of the writers do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions prior to print. Find us on… www.facebook.com/AirsoftAction Sea ɍ