you can rob a bank with a banana, shall we ban them?
Finally got my arse in gear, and dug out the relevant info:
The Home Office Guidance to the Police at Paragraph 13.70
The term "component part" may be held to include (i) the barrel, chamber, cylinder, (ii) frame, body or receiver, (iii) breech, block, bolt or other mechanism for containing the charge at the rear of the chamber (iv), any other part of the firearm upon which the pressure caused by firing the weapon impinges directly. Magazines, sights and furniture are not considered component parts.
R v Ashton, CA, 1 February 2007
Any part that stops the weapon functioning as it was designed would be a component part: "Whether in fact this particular gas plug is a component part of a prohibited weapon, is a matter of fact for the court to decide ....the words have their ordinary natural meaning. ..., as a matter of reasonable interpretation it means a part that is manufactured to the purpose... screw or washer, would not be a component part for present purposes. Similarly, a component part must be a part that if it were removed, the Gun could not function without it."
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 don't know personally of any cases of people having been asked to prove their specific defence entitlement since it came into force
Try buying from a mainstream retailer...
Sorry - I meant I don't know of any court cases which have come down to this question. 
Always quoted it when buying RIFs from dealers obviously (except one mainstream one which "forgot" until about to put the phone down and I had to remind them to take my UKARA details! 
)
The first casualty of war is innocence.
The first casualty of airsoft is your wallet!
Apart from importing/manufacturing or being under 18 then a buyer wouldn't be taken to court anyway, its the seller who has the burden of proof - hence the (usual) cautious and meticulous precautions in establishing a purchaser's bonio fido. I certainly haven't heard of any airsoft retailer (of the type that we would deal with) being taken to court but there have been a few shops/market stalls dealt with by Trading Standards and the like. And HMCR are doing a very efficient job on the importing front - again, I haven't heard of any prosecutions though, perhaps they are happy with just seizure?
(b) the purposes of theatrical performances and of rehearsals for such
performances;
Interesting one there that I hadn't thought of before. My Misses is an Equity member, paid up and with a card and everything. Anyone heard of anyone using that as a defence, or any vendors willing to consider it ? The fact that she got her membership so she could get insurance to do fire twirling performances is really beside the point here 
I'm pretty sure several airsoft dealers sell to the "arts"
Certainly Wolf Armouries does stuff for films...
If you are a film production company/theatre company (pukka, proper offices/letterheads/company registration) then you do have a defence if you can put together a justification - for that purpose only.
Remember, it isn't the buyer that is at risk of fine/imprisonment - it is the vendor. So the vendor is going to be 100% sure of his paperwork/proof rather than risk his livelihood/liberty.
HMCR will require robust paperwork proof if you are importing, so use that as a guide to what others will need when buying within the UK.
My Misses is an Equity member, paid up and with a card and everything. Anyone heard of anyone using that as a defence, or any vendors willing to consider it ?
The act refers to film and theatre companies and organisations. Your Mrs being an actor, card carrying or not, would not be a defence or exemption to be sold a RIF. Any film or theatre company would have to show proof that they were legitimate, i.e. company registration/charity registration (some am-dram/am-op societies are registered charities, not companies)/letterheads etc. as previously stated by Cholmers. There is no specification that they have to be professional, just legitimate. Film and theatre students keep rearing their heads and asking if they have a defence or exemption and the simple answer is no, they don't. Their college or university might be able to purchase, but not individual students.
22. For manufacturers, importers and vendors to claim one of the defences, they must be able to show that their conduct was for purpose of making realistic imitation firearms available for one of the reasons specified in the defences above. How they should satisfy themselves of this will vary from case to case and it might be advisable for them to keep a record of this for each transaction. In some cases they could ask to see, for example, a letter from the commissioning film or television company.
The act refers to film and theatre companies and organisations
Useful to know. One of the main reasons she got membership, apart from the insurance, was to legally import "Samurai" swords. In actual fact she does Arabic dance, and one of the dance forms involves the use of a Scimitar - a traditional dance that the ladies of the middle east would perform to ceremonially hand their husbands their swords before they left for battle. Unfortunately in its infinite wisdom, our government has decided that arabian scimitars count as Samurai Swords, and are therefore banned unless you have some form of defence.
So we Airsofters aren't the only ones being done to by the VCR bill.
Love to see her import an AK47 to do an Arabian dance 
Love to see her import an AK47 to do an Arabian dance
It IS the modern equivalent of the scimitar...
Love to see her import an AK47 to do an Arabian dance
Nah, won't work - I tried that avenue and HMRC wouldn't have any of it. Even showed them my exotic videos. Bastards passed them onto some obscure police. dept and I got into even more trouble... 
Love to see her import an AK47 to do an Arabian dance
Nah, won't work - I tried that avenue and HMRC wouldn't have any of it. Even showed them my exotic videos. Bastards passed them onto some obscure police. dept and I got into even more trouble...
But he has been booked for the chief constables crimbo extravaganza 
The balance is all wrong
I told her your suggestions, and she replied..."its all about the balance!" - so apparently I am well trained. For those of you who think I am crazy, here's an educational photo...
Not sure how well the AK would work
well, we sometimes wonder how we can work partisans into a scenario........... fucking good luck with that impression mate
And I thought my hobby was a bit 'fringe'. 
