As usual, dont ask me where i got this from (emailed to me hot-off-the-press this morning)
I'll only post the bits relevant to us.
Final VCR Defence
VIOLENT CRIME REDUCTION ACT 2006 (COMMENCEMENT No3) ORDER 2007: FIREARMS MEASURES
Circular 12/2007 advised of the commencement on 6 April 2007 of certain firearms provisions in Part 2 of Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. This circular, which has been drawn up in consultation with ACPO’s Firearms & Explosives Licensing Working Group and with ACPO Scotland, advises of the commencement on 1 October 2007 of the remaining firearms provisions in that Act. The relevant commencement orders can be downloaded from the following links:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20072180_en.pdf and http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20072518_en.pdf .Sections 36 to 38: Realistic imitation firearms
14. These sections introduce a ban on the supply of realistic imitation firearms.
15. Section 36 makes it an offence to manufacture, import or sell realistic imitation firearms. It also makes it an offence to modify an imitation firearm to make it realistic. Subsection 7 provides that imported realistic imitation firearms will be liable to forfeiture under customs and excise controls.
16. Section 37 provides various defences to the new offence. It makes it a defence to show that the manufacture, importation, sale or modification was only for the purpose of making the realistic imitation firearm available for:
- a museum or gallery;
- theatrical performances and rehearsals of such performances;
- the production of films and television programmes;
- the organisation and holding of historical re-enactments; and
- crown servants.17. Subsection 3 provides a further defence for businesses to import realistic imitation firearms for the purpose of modifying them to make them non-realistic.
18. Subsection 7 provides that “museum or galleryâ€Â
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
Home Office Guidance Notes
2007 No.
ARMS AND AMMUNITION
The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (Realistic Imitation Firearms) Regulations 2007
Made - - - - 2007
Laid before Parliament 2007
Coming into force - - 1st October 2007
The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 36, 37 and 38 of and paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of Schedule 2 to the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006( ).
Citation and commencement
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (Realistic Imitation Firearms) Regulations 2007 and shall come into force on 1st October 2007.
Interpretation
2. In these regulationsâ€â€
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
This item was tacked onto one of the emails. Makes VERY interesting reading
I attach a draft of the HO circular about all the firearms measures coming into effect on 1 October. I should be grateful if you would send any comments on the draft to Sam Hardy and Shruti Pandya (copy to me) by close on Monday 17 September. In particular, can you update us on the membership scheme, database etc. Have you decided whether to provide Customs with access to the database?
Regards,
Dennis Wilmer
Home Office
Public Order Unit
5th Floor, Fry Building
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
020 7035 1786
So, it seems that HMR&C know full well that a database of players will be available. Now its obvious why UKARA got on with it and sorted out the database, instead of letting the UKASGB do it (plus, the UKASGb Chair, Boomer, is a pontificating cnut that is completely incapable of making a command decision) They can legitimately claim that its *their* Dbase, ergo, why should they make it open to HMR&C for the purposes of checking on personal imports? Needless to say, this little titbit of info WILL be getting leaked to the UK Airsoft community at large at some stage to stoke up a bit of anger against UKARA.
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
I can't immediately see anything new in that lot but I see that airsoft is still specifically mentioned in the defense as Sec of State further defense.
Bits I'm interested in:
- Historical re-enactment is defined as “any presentation or other event held for the purpose of re-enacting an event from the past or of illustrating conduct from a particular time or period in the pastâ€Â
Happily it can be argued either way. Without the guns, we are nothing more than dressing up in WW2 gear. Without the uniforms, we are nothing more than "regular airsoft skirmishers" with old guns.
I think we sit in the middle of the two, and thats a good place to be IMHO.
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
I often wonder if by 'permitted events' they mean events at which there will be MOPs.
I wonder if our skirmishes, which are technically private battles, are sactioned as 'permitted events'.
It doesn't really matter either way mind.
This is odd to say it is a final draft:
the Association of British Airsoft is putting in place arrangements to allow retailers to check that individual purchasers are members of a genuine skirmishing club or site. The key elements of these arrangements are:
· new players must play at least 3 times in the 2 months before being offered membership;
Clearly wrong on both counts?
Er, not quite - but there is some politics at play.
The original intention was to have the database paid for and administered under a tripartite agreement between the ABA, UKARA and the UKASGB.
As usual the UKASGB dragged its heels so long, UKARA went ahead and did it themselves for the simple reason that if there were no system in place come the 1st October they would be screwed - not to mention if they could steal a march on other systems, they could make it advantageous to themselves (personal imports?)
The "three times in not less than 2 months" thing was put in to show the HO that people would have to show some dedication as a skirmisher before being allowed to buy RIF's
One thing to mention is that the HO themseleves have stated that there is no reason that other systems to show the vailidity of a buyer/importer/manufacturer cant exist. Them made it crystal clear that they would not countenance the creation of a monopoly.
It should be noted that UKARA did NOT have ANY representation at the HO meetings. HO weren't interested in talking to them.
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
OK, but the ABA haven't put a scheme in place - it's UKARA, so the notes are wrong.
Also 'new players must play at least 3 times in the 2 months before being offered membership' isn't at all the same as 'three times in not less than 2 months'.
Good that the reference is for 'new' players though, allowing historical records to be used...
Thing is UKARA will have a monopoly on a database. The member retailers (whose heads are on the block if they cannot be absolutely sure of who they are selling to) are surely only going to accept 'proof' if a person is on the UKARA database. For instance, if we were to set up a 'reenacter's' database of people who were perfectly legitimate and valid they wouldn't have to say 'yeah, OK, that will do' - would they?
And with regard to imports, HMRC won't want to consult half a dozen databases surely? (Always assuming they want to consult any at all!)