Spraying a two-tone gun, black

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ElAshtonio

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Okay, I've searched far and wide for a definitive answer to this question but half of the answers I see say "You can't" and the other half say "You can but you need a valid defence". Here's my specific scenario: I bought an orange AEG before I received my UKARA licence and I would like to spray paint it black. Is it legal to do that? Another answer could be for me to just buy an RIF but I'm too poor atm :/

 
Go read the legislation and you'll get a good idea of the answer. Ultimately given a suitable defence (18+ and UKARA) then sure you can likely manufacturer a RIF legally. If you don't have a defence then its not legal. The half saying you need the right defence under the law are absolutely correct.

PS UKARA isn't a licence its more like a membership card for the retailers to prove you are an airsofter, it gives you a defence against prosecution.

 
Common misconception is that UKARA is a "licence" and you need one to own a RIF. UKARA is simply a database of registered skirmishers so that the person selling you the gun can quickly check you off a list to verify that you are, indeed, going to be using it for airsoft, rather than robbing the local corner shop. It's not a licence in any way - the seller can still refuse the sale even if you have UKARA if they don't believe you'll use it legally, or, on the contrary, a seller can sell you an RIF without UKARA - for example, I recently got into airsoft through filming - I was in an airsoft shop discussing options for prop guns and gear when I was working on a film project. Blank firers (for which you need to pay an armourer for a day since you're working with live ammunition and firearms), PFC guns (which aren't too reliable and often give out unrealistic sparks), or, what we went with in the end - airsoft pistols with black BBs so they didn't show up on camera, but still had the full working blowback action. We purchased the RIFs, I didn't have UKARA or such like, but I had a valid VCRA defence as "Film and Television".

The VCRA defence is applicable to the purchase of weapons, or the manufacture of them. You must have a defence to do either. You don't need UKARA to buy a RIF for airsoft either. As long as the seller is satisfied that it will in fact be used for airsofting (or other legal use), they can sell the RIF. Same goes for manufacturing. If you manufacture a RIF for airsofting, no problem. Of course, if the police came along, you may have to prove that. Which is why ukara is helpful.

End of the day, common sense is key. Are you spraying it black for use in an airsoft skirmish? Or are you just spraying it black to look cool? One is legal, one is not.

Funny side note - by legal definition, "film" in the VCRA act is, according to the patents and copyrights act directly referenced, “a recording on any medium from which a moving image may by any means be produced. So, you could technically buy a RIF, do a review video on it, and be on your merry way.

Or, just use a helmet cam when you skirmish. Then you've got 2 defences at the same time.

 
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Thank you both for clearing some things up for me. My "defence" here would be that I attend airsoft matches once a month on average (and have been doing so for about a year now). Would that be a "valid" defence though? I always carry my AEG in a gun bag so it's incredibly unlikely that I would even get questioned for having one.

Edit: I'm still waiting for my UKARA membership to be processed and I've got a game tomorrow night that I want my gun to be painted black for

 
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ElAshtonio said:
Thank you both for clearing some things up for me. My "defence" here would be that I attend airsoft matches once a month on average (and have been doing so for about a year now). Would that be a "valid" defence though? I always carry my AEG in a gun bag so it's incredibly unlikely that I would even get questioned for having one.

Edit: I'm still waiting for my UKARA membership to be processed and I've got a game tomorrow night that I want my gun to be painted black for
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Yes, so long as you could if asked produce documentary evidence that you're a regular airsoft player (this isn't actually a legal requirement, but if you can produce paperwork it's water-tight) then you can purchase or manufacture as many RIFs as you want!

 
jcheeseright said:
Yes, so long as you could if asked produce documentary evidence that you're a regular airsoft player (this isn't actually a legal requirement, but if you can produce paperwork it's water-tight) then you can purchase or manufacture as many RIFs as you want!
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Perfect! Physical proof (in the form of loads of game receipts from my site) is something I have lots of. Cheers :)

 
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