University airsoft

[StoveCap]

Greetings,

Heading into first year of Uni later this year. And I was hoping to double check with anyone here that I've done all my relevant checks before I head off to university with the slice of my collection I select to bring along with me.

Specifically, I'm heading to Cardiff Uni (Hopefully). They have an Airsoft society, so I'm also going to ask in their socials some of the more specific stuff to cardiff uni. So this post is more for general advice from any other Uni Airsofters or anyone who lives in shared living.

Main questions are:

Is it alright to store my stuff in my Dorm room?

How can I secure my stuff relatively cheaply? (Worst case, a flatmate or other person gets into my room and tries to nick them. How do I protect from that without buying a gun safe?)

How transparent with flatmates should I be about my stuff - Should I explicitly state and show my guns, or do I hide them, etc...?

What's the best way to transport my stuff outside my dorm in the city so that I don't have to worry about any panic? (I already have gunbags, but I'm a little worried they're still gonna understandably cause some panic)

Obscure money saving tips, I already have all the general tips, but there's always something new I could learn.

Any oddities to Airsoft in Wales?

And anything else that might be relevant that I haven't though of. Anything helps.

 

[Colin Allen]

I am an airsofter who works for a university, with a son, who is also an airsofter, studying at another university.

I do not know of any UK universities that allow airsoft guns to be kept in halls.
 

 

[Tommikka]

Is it alright to store my stuff in my Dorm room?

As Colin has said - 99% chance of this being a no, and would get you into trouble.

Contact the local society for their advice

The norm is that it’s not allowed in halls

Societies will have access to storage, but it will vary between Universities.

I am aware that in the past Southampton University went through this for their members.

Resident members in halls were not permitted to keep RIFs, members in shared houses could and ‘key’ members of the society stored other members RIFs - but that meant that they became responsible for them and had issues when particular members weren’t attended an event.

The society had storage via the Student Union, but it was as caged areas in store rooms - and one cage would be shared between two societies.

Your specific society will be able to tell you what their arrangements are

For something to physically store them in, the best is a hard case & a lock or a padlock.

A non gun case is more anonymous for general transporting.

The circumstances of your transportation can also vary - your own car, a bus, walking down the street etc

 

[hitmanNo2]

It's unlikely that any university will allow Airsoft guns to be kept in halls of residence. Imo, just do it anyway. They're not to know if you keep it to yourself. Just keep them out of sight in generic boxes under your bed, in your wardrobe etc. When you move out into a house share, you can be a bit more open as hopefully you'll be with friends and not complete strangers that you'll be stuck with in halls for the first year.

 

[Colin Allen]

From their Residential Terms and Conditions:

"not bring into the Premises anything which in the University’s reasonable opinion is or may become dangerous, noxious offensive, combustible, corrosive, inflammable, radioactive or explosive including, but not limited to, firearms, air rifles, pistols, cross-bows, or any other weapons (including replicas or deactivated weapons), gas cylinders or oil burners."

 

[Tackle]

From their Residential Terms and Conditions:

"not bring into the Premises anything which in the University’s reasonable opinion is or may become dangerous, noxious offensive, combustible, corrosive, inflammable, radioactive or explosive including, but not limited to, firearms, air rifles, pistols, cross-bows, or any other weapons (including replicas or deactivated weapons), gas cylinders or oil burners."

Lol, never mind the gnus, you can't even have your li-po's on site?

 

[Colin Allen]

It's unlikely that any university will allow Airsoft guns to be kept in halls of residence. Imo, just do it anyway. They're not to know if you keep it to yourself. Just keep them out of sight in generic boxes under your bed, in your wardrobe etc. When you move out into a house share, you can be a bit more open as hopefully you'll be with friends and not complete strangers that you'll be stuck with in halls for the first year.

Random room inspections can and do happen.  I have been in the slightly awkward position of having to run a disciplinary case against a student whose RIF was found in his wardrobe.

I am my faculty's Prevent officer, so I have to check up on students who have been accessing websites and content on university WiFi or via university PCs that could indicate that they are at risk of radicalisation or are potentially a risk.  Recently, a Chinese Year 3 direct entry student was flagged for accessing a number of airsoft sites.  I called him in, as I am required to, and asked him in particular about an airsoft site whose website he had repeatedly accessed.  He explained that he and his friends were looking for sites to play at; I asked him if he had played at that site and he said he had.  I asked him when and, when he told me, asked him which team he had been on.  When he told me, I mentioned that we might well have shot each other.  We then spent a great hour talking about airsoft.

The moral of that is that you should not look up airsoft related content using university PCs or WiFi, including Eduroam.

 

[Cannonfodder]

As others have posted, it's probably going to be against the uni's t&cs to keep rifs in halls of residence. The society should be able to advise you on alternatives. 

I use a gun bag similar to this when using public transport to get to games.

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/8fields-tactical-long-double-rifle-47-147cm-gun-case?pv=16035

When I first started I used to use a hard rifle case as it's more secure but I found it actually drew more attention from the public

 

[Dan Robinson]

Can't add much more to the above other than, after the first year, our group from halls stayed together for the remaining years or private rental while studying; so it wouldn't have been an issue then.

During your first year, if the above doesn't help, find a regular site that may be willing to keep your pews for you.

 

[GiantKiwi]

Random room inspections can and do happen.  I have been in the slightly awkward position of having to run a disciplinary case against a student whose RIF was found in his wardrobe.

I am my faculty's Prevent officer, so I have to check up on students who have been accessing websites and content on university WiFi or via university PCs that could indicate that they are at risk of radicalisation or are potentially a risk.  Recently, a Chinese Year 3 direct entry student was flagged for accessing a number of airsoft sites.  I called him in, as I am required to, and asked him in particular about an airsoft site whose website he had repeatedly accessed.  He explained that he and his friends were looking for sites to play at; I asked him if he had played at that site and he said he had.  I asked him when and, when he told me, asked him which team he had been on.  When he told me, I mentioned that we might well have shot each other.  We then spent a great hour talking about airsoft.

The moral of that is that you should not look up airsoft related content using university PCs or WiFi, including Eduroam.

Your university has been going down the draconian interpretation of what is permissible under PREVENT then. 'Proportionate' seems to have been left to the wayside a bit.

When I was at university as a student, we had an airsoft club and thus were allowed a dedicated lockable space for club equipment - which is where most people in halls stored their stuff.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be the first time i've seen them stored with permission in halls (worked for 2 separate University of Cambridge colleges and 4 universities total now) - just don't expect it. If you're storing them in locked hardcases, you are likely to be looked on more favourably by the staff especially if you make it clear that it is sports equipment. Halls don't stop you from storing Archery and Fencing equipment in them, provided you have appropriate storage considerations made.

 

[Colin Allen]

Your university has been going down the draconian interpretation of what is permissible under PREVENT then. 'Proportionate' seems to have been left to the wayside a bit.

We have reasons to, although I keep arguing that we are too strict.  I was one of the first people to get tagged, which highly amused the Vice-Chancellor.

 

[EDcase]

My son is at Bristol UWE and we checked if he could keep some pews in residence since they supposedly have an airsoft society but NO weapon shaped objects are allowed on uni premises.

He didn't want to pursue it further so don't know if they have some storage facility.

 

[hitmanNo2]

Random room inspections can and do happen.  I have been in the slightly awkward position of having to run a disciplinary case against a student whose RIF was found in his wardrobe.

I am my faculty's Prevent officer, so I have to check up on students who have been accessing websites and content on university WiFi or via university PCs that could indicate that they are at risk of radicalisation or are potentially a risk.  Recently, a Chinese Year 3 direct entry student was flagged for accessing a number of airsoft sites.  I called him in, as I am required to, and asked him in particular about an airsoft site whose website he had repeatedly accessed.  He explained that he and his friends were looking for sites to play at; I asked him if he had played at that site and he said he had.  I asked him when and, when he told me, asked him which team he had been on.  When he told me, I mentioned that we might well have shot each other.  We then spent a great hour talking about airsoft.

The moral of that is that you should not look up airsoft related content using university PCs or WiFi, including Eduroam.

WTF?  Random room inspections?  Having a talk with people if they visit airsoft websites on the WiFi?  Where is this uni?  Nazi Germany?

I couldn't imagine someone coming into my accommodation and rummaging through my belongings.  Absolutely mad.  I guess if you're unfortunate enough to live somewhere like that, just keep your RIFs in a box labeled "sex toys"

 

[Cannonfodder]

Room inspections and monitoring student's internet usage isn't a new thing. They had them when I was at uni living in halls and that was 25 years ago. They didn't do them often but they certainly happened. I know internet use was also monitored as there was a known case of a student being caught and arrested for looking up underage girls. Airsoft probably gets flagged as firearms related content

 

[Colin Allen]

Room inspections and monitoring student's internet usage isn't a new thing. They had them when I was at uni living in halls and that was 25 years ago. They didn't do them often but they certainly happened. I know internet use was also monitored as there was a known case of a student being caught and arrested for looking up underage girls. Airsoft probably gets flagged as firearms related content

Yep, that is exactly the filter that picks it up.  I am working on educating those who do the sifting about airsoft; I thought I might invite them to a game so that they can see what a bunch of nerds we really are.

 

[hitmanNo2]

Sure, we had the occasional smoke alarm check but there was not a single time where anyone went through my belongings, opened wardrobes etc.

 

[Dan Robinson]

We would have been fookked on many levels if they did this when I was at university.   

After we left halls (a large house just of campus) apparently we were the straw that broke the camels back and next year it was converted to an Islamic Studies department. 

Multiple times the Student's union bar manager had to walk 300m up the river bank to ask us to turn our music down ?.

University tradition was to invite final year students to return to halls.....we had no such invitation.

Academia was very much second fiddle to the University of Life.  Thinking about the carnage we caused with hair clippers and CO2 fire extinguishers.... I dread to think what could have been achieved with RIFs and pyros.  ?.

Fun times.  Thankfully the year before a Labour (of all things) government brought in tuition fees.

One of the first things we did in private rentals was work out how to "hinder" the smoke alarms.   It was embarrassing how often they went off during Fresher's Week......    Of which I have stories I will not risk the boy reading here ?.    Long live the 90's.

 

[Galvatron]

WTF?  Random room inspections?  Having a talk with people if they visit airsoft websites on the WiFi?  Where is this uni?  Nazi Germany?

I couldn't imagine someone coming into my accommodation and rummaging through my belongings.  Absolutely mad.  I guess if you're unfortunate enough to live somewhere like that, just keep your RIFs in a box labeled "sex toys"

Whether it's a joke or not, the comparison to Nazi Germany is insulting to those persecuted there for simply existing. As already said, halls of residence inspections and monitoring internet usage aren't exactly a novelty.

Universities have reputations to uphold and especially in this age where Britain is becoming more like its ally from across the Atlantic with its litigous tendencies, they have to be vigilant to avoid being held liable and thus give grounds to be sued.

To that point about being sued, universities have something called public liabilty insurance to protect or mitigate themselves from injury to people or damage to property within the confines of the university. As the halls of residence are the responsibility of the university and that it has a duty of care with internet usage, it doesn't take an overactive imagination to guess that many public liability insurance policies for a university are contingent on them not allowing weapons or replicas in the halls of residence and that they have safeguards and "counselling" policies in place over web usage.

University culture isn't "absolutely mad" in that respect. It reflects the society we live in today where you have to be especially careful to keep your arse covered.

 

[hitmanNo2]

lol.  OK fella.

 

[Rogerborg]

It reflects the society we live in today

Perhaps we might prepare young people for the society that we'd prefer to live in.

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