Incoming crossbow ban

Cannonfodder · 2026-03-21T04:30:20+0000

novioman said:
They are offering a license option to existing owners.

I suppose on paper that's a good thing. I still don't trust the civil service not to bugger it up though

Bwian_eh? said:
And SGCs are taking 2 years, getting these ticketed isn't realistically going to happen.

Just another effect successive cuts to police budgets means things like FAC applications take longer as they're lower priority. Although the cynical part of me does wonder if that's meant as a feature not a bug. By putting enough red tape and hurdles in the application then more people won't want to deal with the hassle, basically a back door banning

Herrgh · 2026-03-21T08:30:30+0000

Interesting. 3 people get killed with a relatively exotic method, and there is immediate, instant, hand-wringing, pearl-clutching government action to ban it and lessen the liberty of us all.

So why such massive INACTION in other cases, on other specific, easily preventable/reversible societal ills (that I won't specify because I don't want to be arrested)?

Lyndication · 2026-03-21T09:02:31+0000

Cos gambling and alcohol are profitable, so they stay.

As someone who does HEMA fencing, these things float about a lot as a vague threat but rarely turn out to all that in reality.

As far as RIFs, you're hard pressed to severely wound or kill someone with them. Can take an eye out or crack teeth I guess, but you can do that with your hands. The main legal angle on them is the risk that someone will pretend it's a real gun during a robbery or something.

novioman · 2026-03-21T09:10:04+0000

Lyndication said:
Cos gambling and alcohol are profitable, so they stay.

As someone who does HEMA fencing, these things float about a lot as a vague threat but rarely turn out to all that in reality.

As far as RIFs, you're hard pressed to severely wound or kill someone with them. Can take an eye out or crack teeth I guess, but you can do that with your hands. The main legal angle on them is the risk that someone will pretend it's a real gun during a robbery or something.

Most replica airguns are as realistic as airsoft guns these days, some being identical, only more powerful.

Bwian_eh? · 2026-03-21T09:26:28+0000

novioman said:
Most replica airguns are as realistic as airsoft guns these days, some being identical, only more powerful.

and the inverse of that, is go to the shooting show, and there's a huge percentage of real firearms that are bright coloured or two tone. Lots of bright reds and blues. But this is drifting into almost a defence debate but I guess that's still valid- they can remove RIFs just as easily as they are doing this. I'm more interested in the historical side than a modern compound crossbow, but any removal of target sports makes us all weaker as a shooting community.

Herrgh · 2026-03-21T10:40:57+0000

Lyndication said:
Cos gambling and alcohol are profitable, so they stay.

A fair point. I wasn't referring to that though

novioman · 2026-03-21T11:33:32+0000

At the end of the day only the law abiding obey laws, lots of people will ignore any ban on blank firers, crossbows, whatever. I dare say some are now buying crossbows before any law change comes in to effect.
Bans only really work when the powers that be know exactly who has what, in these cases they don’t, so not really effect.
60-80 thousand air cartridge guns were unaccounted for according to police and government when discussed in the House of Lords, so that worked well.

Colin Allen · 2026-03-21T11:53:41+0000

Herrgh said:
Interesting. 3 people get killed with a relatively exotic method, and there is immediate, instant, hand-wringing, pearl-clutching government action to ban it and lessen the liberty of us all.

So why such massive INACTION in other cases, on other specific, easily preventable/reversible societal ills (that I won't specify because I don't want to be arrested)?

You are not going to get arrested for posting stuff on an obscure airsoft website; there is no need for the drama.

Cannonfodder · 2026-03-21T13:44:25+0000

Herrgh said:
A fair point. I wasn't referring to that though

Well what did you mean then?

Despite what the gutter press try to tell us nobody is going to prison for mean tweets.

Good day · 2026-03-21T16:12:51+0000

Colin Allen said:
But it isn’t necessarily about criminals, is it? It is often about ordinary people who get into a situation where they lose control and use a conveniently available ranged lethal weapon, such as a crossbow.

In the past, I have thought about buying a crossbow, but I have never done so because what the heck would I do with it?

The same applies to knives for me; apart from having knives as tools, I have one utility knife that I take when I am walking on Dartmoor or anywhere else remote; it has occasionally come in useful. I neither want nor need a collection of knives.

I do have a sword though; it is a French Revolutionary Wars light infantry officer’s sword.

show me me these effective laws?
And how they work.

So far all these rules just seem to be feel good laws that do nothing.

The Majority do not misuse them so why discriminate?

The majority of knives used in crime are kitchen ones, so ban them too?

Why not let people defend themselves effectively?
Then these nutters need to think twice.

Good day · 2026-03-21T16:15:03+0000

Tackle said:
Like Colin I've always thought "yeah they look cool", but justifying having one, no chance, there's probably only a very select few that could tick all the potential boxes for possibly owning & using one, think wealthy landowners with massive estates, & suitable things to shoot at (legally), & i would imagine anyone who fits the bill probably already has rifles, maybe even a gamekeeper to do the dirty work.
Only other viable option is a target shooting club setup, similar to your average shooting club, where all the kit is registered & kept under lock & key, but do they exist ?, i thought most clubs used proper bows ?

BUT
I'd have preferred the authorities, irrespective of party, had given more consideration to there being a legal avenue for legitimate users, either current or future, rather than an outright ban that will just drive many of those in circulation underground, almost definitely in to the wrong hands.

You shouldn’t need to have a reason.
In a free country it should be why not?

Why do you need a sports car that can do 150Mph plus?
You can only do 70…

Colin Allen · 2026-03-21T16:19:43+0000

Good day said:
show me me these effective laws?

I didn't mention anything about the effectiveness of laws; you have created a strawman argument.

Good day said:
And how they work.

Again, I did not mention how they work; another strawman argument.

Good day said:
So far all these rules just seem to be feel good laws that do nothing.

Compare the number of gun deaths per capita in the USA with the same data for western nations that have highly restrictive gun laws; that alone destroys your argument.

Good day said:
The Majority do not misuse them so why discriminate?

It isn't discrimination.

Good day said:
The majority of knives used in crime are kitchen ones, so ban them too?

They have a useful and reasonable purpose.

Good day said:
Why not let people defend themselves effectively?

Because that would lead to mayhem, as in the USA.

Good day said:
Then these nutters need to think twice.

Colin Allen · 2026-03-21T16:21:48+0000

Good day said:
You shouldn’t need to have a reason.
In a free country it should be why not?

It is perfectly reasonable to expect someone to provide a reason if they want to own a lethal ranged weapon.

Good day said:
Why do you need a sports car that can do 150Mph plus?
You can only do 70…

A very good question; the answer is simple: you don't.

Tommikka · 2026-03-21T16:24:13+0000

Herrgh said:
Interesting. 3 people get killed with a relatively exotic method, and there is immediate, instant, hand-wringing, pearl-clutching government action to ban it and lessen the liberty of us all.

Hardly

The enquiry was commissioned a year before that one high profile attack.
It was commissioned as a result of the attempted attack on the queen in 2023.

An attempted attack on the queen, the killing of 3 family members and other attacks taken into account in an enquiry have resulted in the ban

Tommikka · 2026-03-21T16:27:15+0000

Good day said:
The majority of knives used in crime are kitchen ones, so ban them too?

That would be why there is an intent to change the general standard of pointed kitchen knives to curved ends

Tommikka · 2026-03-21T16:32:02+0000

Good day said:
Why not let people defend themselves effectively?
Then these nutters need to think twice.

People are allowed to defend themselves effectively. But not to plan to do so with weapons

The nutters & criminals do think twice, and those thoughts lead to the wider use of weapons.
A point to bear in mind is the escalation and use of your own weapon against you - the baddie is the one who has prepared

Good day · 2026-03-21T16:53:30+0000

Tommikka said:
People are allowed to defend themselves effectively. But not to plan to do so with weapons

The nutters & criminals do think twice, and those thoughts lead to the wider use of weapons.
A point to bear in mind is the escalation and use of your own weapon against you - the baddie is the one who has prepared

That is the usual propaganda.

Places were you can defend yourself effectively
(Which you say the U.K. allows, the people I know who work in the justice system say differently.)
I actually know a man who got charged for assault after he hit and hammered a guy who just stabbed him in the eye with a chisel…

The majority of self defence uses with a firearm in the US only involves the firearm getting brandished.

No one gets hurt.

But even if you did have to why is using a tool so bad?

Why not look at debates on this subject because the anti side just really use logic just emotions.

Good day · 2026-03-21T16:55:11+0000

Tommikka said:
That would be why there is an intent to change the general standard of pointed kitchen knives to curved ends

And you agree with such changes???

These tools are thousands of years old.

But now they are a problem??

With more laws on the books than ever and the crime still is happening.

How come years ago you could carry want you wanted and no one was getting hurt?

What has changed?

Good day · 2026-03-21T16:58:48+0000

Colin Allen said:
It is perfectly reasonable to expect someone to provide a reason if they want to own a lethal ranged weapon.

A very good question; the answer is simple: you don't.

No it is?

That isn’t living freely then.

Why must a free man justify himself?

Why do you want to discriminate?
All in the name of “safety”?

It’s all feel good policies.
You aren’t doing anything.

We have all these laws and what has changed?

And then why do you need a replica?
You could just mis use.

Need to ban and restrict them more.

How long will your ban list be?

Will you cut down every tree?
Ban steel too cap boots?

People having a social circle incase they form a gang?

Colin Allen · 2026-03-21T17:00:37+0000

Good day said:
And you agree with such changes???

These tools are thousands of years old.

But now they are a problem??

With more laws on the books than ever and the crime still is happening.

How come years ago you could carry want you wanted and no one was getting hurt?

What has changed?

It seems reasonable to reduce the potential lethality of a knife.

They are indeed thousands of years old and have been a problem for thousands of years.

Crime has always happened and always will; that does not mean that we should just give up and accept it.

Lots of people were getting hurt when people could carry whatever they wanted; to argue otherwise contradicts the facts.

We are now more aware of the level of crime due to modern communications.

Incoming crossbow ban

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