EAA
The world’s first airsoft meeting at an
international level will take place on 30
October. Organised by the European
Airsoft Association (EAA), the meeting will
involve the national airsoft associations
of European countries. The EAA has
confirmed that membership criteria and
the future constitution of the EAA will be
discussed. Matt Furey-King, UK-based
member of the EAA Steering Committee
and UKAPU Chairman, said: “The meeting
is symbolic of the current exponential
progress of global airsoft, and it is a source
of pride that European airsoft has become
so strong despite airsoft being a relatively
recent trend in Europe compared to the
old markets like East Asia and the USA.
“One of the difficulties faced by
the EAA is how to select the proper
representatives from each country. As
airsoft is still in its infancy there are
a number of countries with multiple
governing associations without a
cohesive national structure. The UK has
three associations, though in our case
each represents a distinct section of
the community with unique interests
(retailers, sites and players) and all
associations work toward a common
goal. But in places like France there are a
large number of similar associations. It is
not the place of the EAA to decide which
of these should be the representative
association, as only the residents of that
country have the right to decide this. As
such, we are discussing mechanisms that
will allow each national association a fair
say, while providing an equal voice to each
member state.
”
Matt said: “Not only will participation in
the EAA strengthen airsoft at a European
level it will also provide the motivation for
future national associations to be founded
and run on democratic and philanthropic
values.
”
If your county’s national association
is not involved in EAA then invite
them to get in touch at info@
europeanairsoftassociation.eu or visit
the Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/europeanairsoft.
READER
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008
December 2011
SUPPORTING
COMBAT STRESS
Shell Shock: the diary of Tommy
Atkins was published by
FireStep Publishing last month.
Author Neil Blower served
five years with the Royal
Tank Regiment before being
diagnosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) in
2004. Charity Combat Stress
receives £1 from every sale.
The diary-style novel follows 23-year-old
squaddie Tommy as he struggles to cope
with PTSD. The story highlights the work
of Combat Stress in rehabilitating returning
troops.
Colonel Timothy Collins OBE said:
“[Shell Shock is] an important book
because it addresses a very modern
problem... [it gives] a glimpse into that
world of confusion, doubt and dislocation.
While it is a fiction, perhaps for the young
man next to you on the train or on the
football terrace, it is a reality.
”
SRP: £8.95
FireStep Publishing: 0845 745 1945,
www.firesteppublishing.com
UKARA UPDATE
■ More than 80 retailers have now signed
up to the UKARA scheme
■ Currently 176 game sites – almost all in
the UK – have registered and added
entries to the database
■ More than 15,000 players are registered
on the database
■ The database has been used to look up
players 74,000 times
Players must become a member of their local
game site to be added to the UKARA database
– this means they must play at one site three
times in no less than 56 days.
Being on the database allows players to buy
their own RiFs.
For second hand sales, the seller should
contact a retailer and ask them to check the
buyer’s eligibility. The retailer will provide a code
(beginning with the letters ‘SLR’) to prove it has
checked the status of the buyer.
Traders that ignore the restrictions of the
VCRA put our sport in danger. Report them
to Crime Stoppers (0800 555111) and Trading
Standards (08454 040506). The more calls, the
more likely they will be closed down or fined.