UKAPUNews Posts from United Kingdom Airsoft Players Association.
We have been getting a lot of messages reference our membership , so i thought I would give a quick update on were we are right now .
Currently we are setting up a new database for new members and hopefully this will be very soon and we will keep you all posted on our Facebook page .
Our existing members will be ported over when the new system is setup which will be shortly after the new database is setup.
Please keep sharing our page and posts
Thank you for all your support
Lee Dempsey
GS
I though it would be nice if you could put some faces to the people who are fighting your corner, so here’s a photo we took after the Home Office meeting.
On the far left is myself, I’ve been playing airsoft for about 20 years. I’m into hardcore milsim and have built a technical for use in the bigger games. Often play overseas, I occasionaly stick stuff on my youtube channel (Claymore Airsoft TV). Was in the army for 7 years and did op tours of Iraq and Afghanistan. I was the first Chair of UKAPU and stepped down 3 years ago. Decided to get involved again last year to help us get through the current crisis. Born in Bristol, currently reside in Aberdeen and for a living I’m an aircraft engineer.
To my right is Tim Wyborn, Chair of the new ATB (Airsoft Trade Body). Tim headed up the Association of British Airsoft, the group that won the airsoft specific defence for us in 2006/2007. So without them we’d all be forced to buy two tones (or, in all likelyhood, airsoft would barely exist today under that constraint). Tim has run Xsite Airsoft in Wycombe for many years. Tim is a keen player too and is all about practical airsoft shooting these days. Like myself Tim was hoping to move away from airsoft politics but needs must!
Second from right is Frank Bothamly, Chair of UKARA. As you know UKARA was also involved in the fight against the VCRA and they run a site membership database which is the only one that’s ever been succesful. I’ve only met him a couple of times but Frank runs one of the biggest UK retailers, Firesupport in Peterborough, and is involved in running sites too.
And on the far right is UKAPU Treasurer James ‘Yams’ Williams, Farmer from rural Herefordshire. I’ve been airsofting with Yams since the mid 90’s, he use to run Spectre Wargames and was Secretary of UKASGB during the VCRA fight, and is UKAPUs longest serving committee member. Yams also runs a technical truck and is very keen on the roleplay aspect of milsim games, he plays overseas more than anyone I know of, mostly in Czech republic.
Not pictured (as he had to shoot off straight after the meeting) is Adrian Whiting, ex Deputy Chief Constable. Adrian has been brought in to assist us by UKARA and he is an extremely valiable part of the team. Adrian is a keen shooter and has chaired several government firearms committees. He owns a few AEGs too!
So as you can see just a few regular airsoft people who have stepped forward to protect their much loved pasttime (and also their source of income in the case of Tim and Frank).
Matt Furey-King, Chairman
On Friday UK Airsoft Players Union, UK Airsoft Retailers Association and Airsoft Trade Body were invited to the Home Office HQ in Westminster to discuss the Police and Crime Bill and the airsoft exception. UKARA also brought along Police Chief Adrian Whiting, whose extensive political and legal experience was very helpful indeed.
All 3 bodies are on the same page and we have very similar concerns with the current draft of the bill which is primarily that;
1. 8mm airsoft replicas will not be defined as airsoft.
2. Airsoft replicas are defined as a device which can ‘only’ fire plastic BBs.
3. Fully automatic airsoft replicas could be defined as ‘readily convertible’ as you can push most of them over 1.3J easily enough.
4. Anyone importing or in possession of fully automatic replica that is found to be over 1.3J will be deemed to be in possession of a section 5 firearm (5 year prison sentence for most of us). This is of course very relevant to owners and traders of HPA and GBB models, whose equipment would be tested on the strongest gas pressure available.
Although this Bill is designed to clear up firearms law (amongst other things) we are now fully involved with Westminster politics. As such, there are allot of factors in play, such as party politics and also the anti-airsoft lobby (who are in staunch opposition to the airsoft exception). People will be watching what we airsofters say in public over the coming months. So things are pretty complicated and little can be taken at face value.
We presented some proposals to Government representatives and (without pre-empting the minutes) very little was accepted or rejected outright. This meeting was really the starting point for the process. What seems clear is that they will hold us to the 1.3J/2.5J recommendations of the ACPO testing. We will have more meetings with them over the next year, and if we present an amendment that the Home Office finds favourable they could present it to Parliament. However, there’s still a fair chance that this won’t happen, but we live in a democracy and the airsoft community may need to write to their MPs and the House of Lords in order to get our amendments sponsored and voted in.
If you’ve looked at the PCB you’ll notice that airsoft and lethality make up a very small part of it which is why we won’t be permitted the opportunity to submit evidence to the parliamentary committee.
So what’s the next phase? We need to all agree on the amendments that we are going to push for. We need to collect some more evidence. And we need to bolster the support of the airsoft associations. The only viable option is for us all to work together and be one strong voice asking for the same thing through elected representatives and a well-coordinated lobbying campaign. Anything less will be fruitless. If we fail to clear this Bill up, airsoft players and traders could end up in prison in the future for holding normal airsoft equipment.
The Bill is in the committee stage of the House of Commons and the Home Office project it will be enacted in law before the end of the year.
Players should like UKAPUs Facebook page and then we can keep you in the loop.
If you are in the airsoft industry you should keep in touch with ATB and UKARA
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1554858821494063/?ref=br_rs
http://www.ukara.org.uk/
Matt Furey-King,
Chair UKAPU
Tomorrow morning we will be meeting with the Home Office to discuss the Police and Crime Bill. We will be bringing your concerns forward in relation to 8mm replicas being discluded from the definition of airsoft, airsoft replicas being defined as ‘only’ being able to fire plastic ammunition, readily convertible definitions and the issue of automatic replicas being defined as section 5 firearms (5 year prison sentence for the owner) if they creep over 1.3J.
The meeting was convened by the Home Office and they have invited UKAPU, UKARA and ATB as stakeholders. ATB is one you have likely not heard of. The Airsoft Trade Body was formed only a few weeks ago by a collective of retailers and sites in order to get representation. They have been in contact with UKAPU from square one, and are democratic and open. They haven’t had chance to put a website together but will do soon, so you will be able to find out about them on http://atb.org.uk/ UKAPU is really looking forward to working with them.
The Police and Crime Bill has had its second reading and is now moving to the committee stage. There is still ample opportunity for amendments. http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/policingandcrime.html
Matt Furey-King, Chairman
It’s extremely helpful when you lot send us bits of information. There’s only a few of us on the committee and we don’t monitor all the forums, fb pages, news outlets etc. for airsoft news so sometimes it really helps us get on top of a situation before it develops. So thanks and please carry on doing it!
Matt Furey-King, Chairman
Very productive discussion at the AGM tonight. Talked about the state of play with airsoft representation in the UK, The Scottish Airgun Bill, the Police and Crime Bill, the new website and the EU firearms directive proposal, amongst other things.
Please welcome in the new committee, which is;
Matt Furey-King- Chairman
David Weston- Vice Chairman
William Kei Ho- Press Officer
Lee Dempsey- General Secretary
James Williams- Treasurer
We also set the membership subscription fee at nil, in order to increase membership. Minutes to follow. Thanks to everyone who joined in for their time this evening. UKAPU is officially back on track.
Matt Furey-King, Chairman UKAPU
