Category: News

Airsoft social network Airsoft Nation is launching on Friday, so make sure you sign up, help it set off with a bang! Fact of the matter is, Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t like firearms (although always has an armed protection team with him- I guess he just doesn’t like us having firearms) and he equally hates airsoft. We’ve been seeing more and more firearms and airsoft content being deleted by Facebook this year, I suspect we are creeping towards a full ban. Facebook don’t answer to anyone, its a private company driven by one individuals ideology, so we can’t fight it.

So, Airsoft Nation isn’t simply a tool dedicated to helping the airsoft community organise and play (I’m particularly intereted in how it can be used finding sites and game days, which I find is a pain sometimes). But AN is also a secure platform that could save us from decline and isolation when Facebook pulls the rug out. So go create a profile and get it rolling!

Matt

A heads up for those currently waiting for patches, more are on the way and our hard working registrar is battling against the backlog of hundreds that joined in a flood due to recent events.

On Wednesday the UKAPU had their monthly management meeting. To view the minutes from the meeting please follow the link below.

http://www.ukapu.org.uk/oct16minutes/

On the 19th November 2016 we are running a private game for UKAPU members at Strikeforce CQB site in Gloucester and we are holding the UKAPU AGM in the evening in the safe zone. All members are welcome to attend the game and the AGM. Details to follow. Should be a good ‘un!

Please let the Secretary know if you would like to run for a committee role or add an item to the AGM agenda.

Update on Proposal 2015/0269, the proposal to amend the EU firearms directive (for clarity this is not related to the policing and crime bill, this is a separate issue with even greater potential consequences)-

The proposal is currently in the Trilogue stage. This is a set of informal negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. During this process the 3 bodies will agree on what goes into the final proposal, from there it’s a yes/no vote on whether to implement the final proposal into the directive, after that the directive is implemented in national law. The trilogue is a tad secretive and we’ll not likely know the results till its done. The airsoft community has done what it can to influence the process. Now we’ll just have to wait and see what comes.

The IMCO current draft of the proposal, based on the amendments voted on by the European Parliament, is airsoft friendly. But the commission’s document is essentially the first draft of the proposal, which wants to see all replica firearms classed as real firearms (and all firearms with ‘military appearance’ banned, to boot). They will find a mid point between the two documents. So we have to hope that the IMCO document is fully implemented, as far as airsoft is concerned. This should be the case, there doesn’t seem to be much desire from the Council to reclassify replicas as firearms. Vicky Ford MEP is on side (she’s met regularly with airsoft representatives from our parent body European Airsoft Association and Cybergun/ASG) and understands the ridiculousness of the original proposal, in regards to airsoft. As the Rapporteur Ms. Ford will be involved in the trilogue throughout.

I’m not sure where Firearms shooters stand at the moment with the proposal, its gotten quite complicated. I understand that de-act owners could substantially loose out at the moment.

We’ll let you know when we hear more. Airsoft should be OK but keep your fingers crossed.

Matt Furey-King

Chair, UK Airsoft Players Union

Midlands based members, can you give us some advice please? We are are holding the UKAPU AGM (more details on this to follow, all members welcome) in Meriden, CV7 7NG on the evening of Sunday 20th November.

What we’d like to do is have a game to make more of a day trip for people who are coming along.

So my question is what sites are running in that area on Sunday 20th November? Probably looking at 30min or so driving time ideally.

UKAPU member Magaz does a great job of summing up the association with this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVtU_FOl66U&feature=youtu.be

Unfortunately the problems he mentions with full auto airsoft replicas and the Policing and Crime Bill are still a problem.

The minutes section of our website is now up to date, and includes our most recent meeting. We’re all about transparency.

2016 Minutes

As of the last meeting we’ve filled some more positions, and shuffled a few others;

Ben Simmons has moved to Student Representative.

Steven Morley (aka Wallace) is back on the committee and has taken Ben’s prior position as North England Representative (Wallace is on the committee but isn’t a voting officer of the association due to commercial interests- though his help is still much appreciated!).

We’ve split the role of General Secretary in two, so Lee Dempsey is now Registrar.

Andrew Cade has taken on the new Secretary position.

Tim Haines was elected South West Representative.

Paul Davis was elected East England Representative

Many thanks to the new guys for coming on board and keeping UKAPU running. We’re still after Reps for Wales, Northern Ireland and Midlands. And by the way in 8 years of running UKAPU we’ve never had a female on the committee, which is very poor, and something I’d like to see put right.

Matt Furey-King, Chair

41 envelopes and stamps over 69 patches

These will be latest batch to be send out

Really sorry it has taken sooooo long and the rest will not be done till two weeks as I’m away next weekend

I’ll try do some during the week but I am very busy with work

So all these will be the earliest to have paid

Thank you again for all your support

Lee

The Policing and Crime Bill has been through 3 days of examination by the whole house committee in the House of Lords. Clause 111, part of the bill which relates to firearms (and includes the airsoft exception) didn’t come up, which is how things should be. Committee stage is scheduled to continue on 26 October when further amendments will be discussed. So stay tuned!

If you are interested you can find more information on the process here https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2016/july/lords-debates-policing-and-crime-bill/

If you are still receiving communications from MPs and Lords, please do continue to forward them to our Rep, Alex Abramian alex@ukapu.org.uk Alex is cataloguing replies to help us build a picture of potential supporters and opponents of airsoft.

Matt