Author: UKAPU News Desk

The Home Office has invited the airsoft associations UKAPU and UKARA to a meeting to discuss the Police and Crime Bill, and the airsoft exception.

This is actually the first HO airsoft meeting which has been convined since we created UKAPU, and getting proper representation for players at these meetings has always been one of our highest priorities. The founders of UKAPU were never pleased with the way the previous meetings were conducted, it was extremely hard for players to get any say or find out what went on. I don’t consider this to be the fault of the Home Office at all, IMO the problem was on our end. For players this upcoming meeting will be markedly different. The UKAPU committee members representing UKAPU members at the meeting will be people with no vested interests, and at the AGM next week YOU will be given the opportunity to select those people, or even be one of those people. I’d like to know what your concerns are in relation to the PCB 2015/16 and what questions you would like to ask the Home Office. We will distribute the minutes to you when we recieve them, as is proper. The meeting date is the 11th of March.

Numerous branches of the government now recognise UKAPU as a legitimate airsoft stakeholder, and the Home Office contacted UKAPU in the first instance when they decided to convene this meeting. Many of UKAPUs reccomendations made it into the law commision report and the draft Bill. UKAPU is merely a mechanism which allows players to have real influence on their hobby, so please discuss below.

Matt Furey-King, Chairman UKAPU

Urgent Vacancies

As you might know already I’m looking to move on from the Chairman’s position. Its been worthwhile and interesting but I’ve been at it for too long and need to concentrate other things in my life. As such, I’m aiming to stand for Chairman again at the coming AGM, but recruit a vice-chairman who can take over from me later in the year. I’ve learnt that putting someone new into the Chairman’s position with no lead in isn’t viable, so this way we’d be able to do a staged handover. Chairman is a big job, and you need drive, resilience, as well as good planning and communication skills. But I do recommend it, you’ll learn allot, find it very interesting, and operate at the heart of UK airsoft.

The other position I want to highlight is that of Scotland rep. We are in dire need of someone to monitor and engage with the Scottish parliament and keep the Scottish members and the committee updated.

Although the situation is fairly static at the moment, an Northern Ireland Rep would be very useful too, as they also have a devolved parliament and specific laws.

Please PM the page if you are interested.

Matt

Due to the progress of the PCB 2015/16 we’ve decided to step up the pace of reform. As such we are holding an AGM, via Skype, on the evening of Monday the 29th Feb. All UK players are welcome to join in. Joining instructions to follow.

The new membership system will not be running by then (although, those wheels are in motion), so if you are not already a UKAPU member we will add you to the membership on that evening. That way everyone gets a opportunity to vote on association matters.

The most crucial thing we need is a set of volunteers to staff the new committee. Please PM the page if you are interested, and we can discuss what positions we have available (although every player has the right to stand for any position, we need to know ahead of time so we can organise a ballot if necessary). Apologies if you have volunteered in the past and we’ve not taken you up, could really use you help if you are still keen.

Please try and get the word out that we are looking for people, and consider volunteering with a friend, it seems to work quite well if some committee members know each other and have already worked together.

We’ll probably get together and have an association management meeting in the Midlands in the coming months, but right now I need to present the association as fully manned and elected. Exciting times ahead! We’ll be forging new relationships and working with the government to shape new laws and the future of British airsoft. In the UK we’ve got associations to give us a voice and we’re getting protection for airsoft written into law. In a number of US states, they are not organised and represented, as such nobody listens to them as individuals, and airsoft is being wiped out. Hell of a difference.

Matt Furey-King, Chairman UKAPU

http://www.popularairsoft.com/project-tank-20-fundraiser-hits-halfway-mark-more-help-needed

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Just giving my other project a cheeky push https://m.facebook.com/claymoreairsofttv/ give it a like, it’s an airsoft video series I make for a bit of fun. Set up a Facebook page for it recently as its actually quite difficult to promote YouTube videos on here.

Matt

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The firearms community have found that a number of Facebook pages have been deleted now that gun sales are banned on here. Airsoft got caught up in the last anti gun moves by Google and Facebook so let us know if any airsoft pages start disappearing.

The Policing and Crime Bill 2015-16 is out. I really wasn’t expecting it to be this soon after the law commission report.

From Parliament.uk “This Government Bill was presented to Parliament on Wednesday 10 February 2016. This is known as the first reading and there was no debate on the Bill at this stage.

The date for this Bill’s second reading debate has yet to be announced.

If the bill passes second reading and is committed to a public bill committee the membership of the committee will be published in Votes and Proceedings and posted on this page under ‘Commons Public Bill Committee’. The soonest this can be is the Thursday following second reading of the bill, but it may be later.”

Relevant sections for Airsoft;

Firearms Act 1968: meaning of “firearm” etc.

(1)The Firearms Act 1968 is amended as follows.

(2)In section 57 (interpretation), in subsection (1), for the words from the beginning to the end of paragraph (c) substitute—

“(1)In this Act, the expression “firearm” means—

(a)a lethal barrelled weapon (see subsection (1B));

(b)a prohibited weapon;

(c)a relevant component part in relation to a lethal barrelled

weapon or a prohibited weapon (see subsection (1C));

(d)an accessory to a lethal barrelled weapon or a prohibited

weapon where the accessory is designed or adapted to diminish

the noise or flash caused by firing the weapon;”.

(3)In that section, before subsection (2) insert—

“(1B)In subsection (1)(a), “lethal barrelled weapon” means a barrelled weapon of any description from which a shot, bullet or other missile, with kinetic energy of more than one joule at the muzzle of the weapon, can be discharged.

(1C)Subsection (1) is subject to section 57A (exception for airsoft guns).”

(4)In that section, after subsection (1C) (as inserted by subsection (3) above)

insert—

“(1D)For the purposes of subsection (1)(c), each of the following items is a

relevant component part in relation to a lethal barrelled weapon or a prohibited weapon—

(a)a barrel, chamber or cylinder,

(b)a frame, body or receiver,

(c)a breech block, bolt or other mechanism for containing the

pressure of discharge at the rear of a chamber,

but only where the item is capable of being used as a part of a lethal

barrelled weapon or a prohibited weapon.”

(5)After section 57 insert—

“57AException for airsoft guns

(1)An “airsoft gun” is not to be regarded as a firearm for the purposes of this Act.

(2)An “airsoft gun” is a barrelled weapon of any description from which only a small plastic missile, with kinetic energy at the muzzle of the weapon that does not exceed the permitted level, can be discharged.

(3)“Small plastic missile” means a missile that—

(a)is made wholly or partly from plastics, and

(b)does not exceed 6 millimetres in diameter.

(4)The permitted kinetic energy level is—

(a)in the case of a weapon which is designed or adapted so that

two or more missiles can be discharged successively without

repeated pressure on the trigger, 1.3 joules;

(b)in any other case, 2.5 joules.”

My thoughts;

No airsoft replica is ‘only’ capable of discharging plastic projectiles. All of them can fire steel and glass BBs. Could this make the airsoft exception worthless?

Definition between single/semi and full auto seems reasonable.

Contrary to the report (based on our feedback), they have ruled 8mm airsoft out of the exception.

The exception, interestingly, is for all airsoft replicas and not just for those used in permitted activities ala VCRA, as per the report.

Description of BB material, ‘or partly from plastics’ (having just consulted someone involved in BB manufacture) includes bio BBs, which alleviates a concern which was raised previously. Good stuff.

Still no clarification of the position of variable power devices such as HPA driven.

Matt Furey-King, Chairman

Source- http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2015-2016/0134/cbill_2015-20160134_en_10.htm

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As many of you have seen, there’s a player from Ireland who’s been getting rounds down from his custom wheelchair at airsoft events for the last 8 years, getting well stuck in despite pretty major disability. You may not be aware that his combat chair is knackered and wasn’t quite up to the task of getting over terrain anyway, so he’s trying to crowdfund for a pukka off-road chair on which they can build a proper airsofting platform. No telling how long he’ll be around for, so, he’s one of us, pretty important we get him back in the game. Worthy use of a few quid if ever I did see it.

Here’s Simon’s crowdfunding page https://www.gofundme.com/cqj26f4k

Matt

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UKAPU update.

I’ve handed over the Presidency of the European Airsoft Association, which will allow me to put more attention into (amongst other things) getting UKAPU spruced up. Unfortunately when things went upside down with the EU firearms proposal at the end of last year, I didn’t have time to look at UKAPU at all. As soon as I handed over I was away for a month. So the schedule has slipped from what I promised, sorry about that.

Website/membership system wise I sat down with a few designers, and the quotes I got back would have more or less emptied the UKAPU coffers. But a knight in shining armour has stepped forward and volunteered to sort it out, cost to the association will be minimal and he’s shown me some really good options for a new membership system. So the ball is definately rolling there.

I would like to bring in a new committee soon, we’ve had some very keen volunteers, however I’m going to hold off doing so untill there’s a membership system back in place. I think one of the reasons the previous administration struggled was because the tools they needed to utilise were hard to work with or just broken. But it shouldn’t be long now. FYI James Williams is still serving as treasurer and has always kept tabs on the bank account, PayPal and cash box, and I’m collecting up association property from various ex committee members. We’ll likely hold a mid year AGM.

I’ve sent a follow up letter to the home office in reference to the reform of English/Welsh firearms law, as I’ve heard nothing from that end for a while.

I’ve also just been back in touch with Vicky Ford MEP in reference to the EU firearms proposal.

Finally, we are in need of a Scotland rep, as I’m not clued up about the current situation up here with the new air rifle legislation and how it may tie up with the England/Wales fireams law (if at all). I’m concerned that Scottish UKAPU members may not be getting acceptable representation with the Scottish authorities. I live up I Aberdeen and don’t feel like I’m in the loop as a player, personally.

Thanks for the ongoing support,

Matt Furey-King, Chairman