Author: UKAPU News Desk

Keep an eye out for a stolen M60. There’s only so many places they could sell it on.

On Monday UKAPU submitted a response to the firearms consultation. The law commission will now draft a recommendation based on feedback received. In the vast majority of cases the government will go along with what the law commission recommend, so this is a very important stage. I’m hoping for some sort of exemption (from a 1 Joule prescribed lethal threshold) for airsoft skirmishers, or a higher threshold across the board, but as a community we’re going to have to be more professional and organised to sell the idea of another ‘exemption’. Because of this I’ve stepped up as Chairman once more, to get the organisation running again. I’ll need to recruit a handful of intelligent, self motivated people to make it work. This is really important. You can change the course of airsoft. Your hobby needs you.

Matt Furey-King, Chairman UKAPU

Excuse the language, but is this not the absolute truth?!

Here’s the big one gents, which was always on the horizon, as many of us have been saying for years. In truth UKAPU is in an absolute state right now but as a member I’ll try and see that the organisation gets an official response sent in, and run it by members first if that’s possible.

In layman’s terms I’d say we’re likely looking at a 1 joule hard energy limit coming in for English and Welsh ‘airsoft’ rather than the vague recommendations we have at the moment. The clarity will be welcomed by some players, if not the low limit. Scotland will have its own legislation soon and NI already has a 1j limit.

I really hope that the Airsoft community doesn’t stand on past form and overwhelm the consultation with responses which are poorly reserched, badly worded and angry. Remember we’ve got to win them over. I just wish we had the tools in place of strong, legitimate airsoft associations. They make a huge difference but need to be in place and hard at work before the bomb drops, not as a reaction. Look to paintball as an example of how strong democratic associations can have a massive influence on law and policy (and how the strong commercial associations arguably moved the game away from what the players wanted it to be).

Matt Furey-King, Member

Support new sites! This one sounds great.

Cool looking event going on next month, have a look….

Since things are quiet on the UKAPU front I’ll shamelessly plug my latest #airsoft video! http://www.popularairsoft.com/news/claymore-airsoft-japan-part-1

Matt

Give this new store a look, currently running a 10% discount with promotion code BUALAUNCH

More stores means more choice and competition, which is good news to players like us 🙂

Matt Furey-King

These campaigners are doing great over in Belgium, making the players case heard after a news station showed photos of them and said they were terrorists, but I’ve learned not to ask airsoft players to write in without giving them guidelines (even then, its a risk). Half the time they verbally abuse the people you are trying to win over. The reason I went about making UKAPU was so we’d have a respectable, official way for players to put their voices behind, and it really works.

http://www.scoop.it/t/thumpy-s-3d-house-of-airsoft-scoop-it/p/4035770365/2015/01/22/airsofters-are-not-terrorist-followup-lucid-mind-belgium-softers-are-heard-facebook?hash=8772a372-49fc-43c6-89ee-1e3b83cfdbaa

I’ve got sad news to pass on to you all today. This weekend Ian Hay AKA Aitch passed away. Ian was a proper old school core airsoft community member, he’s one of very few people who has stuck with the hobby since the early days and kept on working hard for all of us. Although he used to be a very active player, the thing that particularly amazed me about Ian is that his declining health had him confined to a wheelchair for years now, and not practically able to airsoft, and yet he still remained pivotal in running various airsoft forums and building project guns amongst other things! He’s been there supporting UK airsoft players every day for longer than we can remember.

Ian was a vocal member of the community, well informed, considered and always ready to speak out for what was right even when it meant going against the flow. I’m one of many, many airsofters who are eternally grateful for his help and yet never met Ian in the flesh. I’ve chatted with him off and on since the 90’s, and traded a few guns with him too, but for me personally he stood out as an immediate, and loud, supported of UKAPU when we launched. Ian was always there for me as a sounding board too, a level head for me to bounce ideas off of. His consistent participation behind the scenes and in public helped shape what UKAPU became, as well as the UK airsoft scene as a whole. If you are new to the hobby I just want you to know how important Aitch was to UK airsoft, and if you are part of the old guard, then Ian will need no introduction and I’m simply here to pass on the bad news to you. Please feel free to leave comments below, it’d be lovely if we could pass on some of the communities thoughts to his family.

Next time you brew up in the safe zone, raise a polystyrene cup to Ian Hay, Aitch, fallen comrade; the word legend is oft overused, but here it fits the bill.

Matt