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Replicas and De-Acs

C

celica

Well-Known Member
Hi after a recent visit stone Stoneleigh i came across something odd. To buy a deactivated weapon you don't need any sort of license yet to buy a replica firearm VCR act applies. Now there are many weapons i would like to add to my collection but unfortunately can't afford and a replica that i can afford i can't legally own. I just don't get it.

I've just got blueprints to make a full size Browning M2 50Cal which apparently would also be illegal if i make it. How exactly does one get around the VCR compliance.

If anyone can explain the thinking behind this odd lelislation from the British Government i would love hear it.

Thanks
 
celica said:
Hi after a recent visit stone Stoneleigh i came across something odd. To buy a deactivated weapon you don't need any sort of license yet to buy a replica firearm VCR act applies. Now there are many weapons i would like to add to my collection but unfortunately can't afford and a replica that i can afford i can't legally own. I just don't get it.

I've just got blueprints to make a full size Browning M2 50Cal which apparently would also be illegal if i make it. How exactly does one get around the VCR compliance.

If anyone can explain the thinking behind this odd lelislation from the British Government i would love hear it.

Thanks
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That part of the legislation was brought in to stop people doing robberies with imitation guns etc (as it was a cheap way of people getting hold of guns that 'do the job') I imagine the reasoning behind it was that deactivated guns are far more pricey for the beginner criminal, and there would have been too much of a complication regarding antique and historic value firearms.

British law is fantastic....It is full of long words, conflicting sentences, and has it's own grey areas built in! They are not designed to be understood (or even read in some cases), they are just there to cnfuse people who obey the rules, and to protect those who dont.
 
Though I have just read on google, that if you become a member of an air soft club and class yourself as a skirmisher, you are able to buy one legally. Not sure how true this is mind but I think there are a couple of members on here who partake in airsoft, they may be able to help.
 
Hi Rob, this is how I understand the law relating to replica firearms to be also,I think re enactors also fit this criteria.


Tony
 
Hi, not really interested in re-enacting, could do airsoft i currently play paintball with a gun resembling an M4. But even if in an airsoft club, surely someone could argue that only enables you to own realistic airsoft guns not replica firearms. i just find it odd that none of this is necessary for a deactivated weapon that once fired real bullets.

I suppose its one of the joys of living in Britain.

Thanks for the replies.
 
Dont bother with the airsoft avenue as you have to attend 3 meetings. Just join the MVC (military vehicle club) and jobs a gooden. And they send you a good read a few times a year.
 
pointblank0 said:
They are not designed to be understood (or even read in some cases), they are just there to cnfuse people who obey the rules, and to protect those who dont.
Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth.... I'm in my second year of studying for an LL.B and to be honest with you I struggle.... The conflicting passages and cross referencing to other acts is absolutely mind boggling! its no wonder that we waste so much time, money and effort within the legal system.

The only conclusion I can come to is that of pointlank0's.... oh, and for the legal institutions' (and all its subsidiaries) to make vast amounts of money by people breaking the rule's, sticking to the rules and challenging the rules... kerrrching!
 
Hi, thanks for the replies. I'll have to look into the MVC, i wouldn't mind owning an old military vehicle, maybe an old jeep that i can mount a 50cal on the back of. I read somewhere that if you join AFRA your covered under their public liability insurance, they also require you to go to a couple of meetings a year.


Thanks Everybody
 
Not de acts etc but figure this out, to use my magazine fed .22lr rifle at Bisley which is an MOD range designed for .303 rifles etc, I need a certificate of competence specifically for this type of rifle or be supervised on a one to one basis by someone who has such a certificate. Of course as I have permision from a local farmer to use it on his property I can fire it quite legally there so long as no shots leave the property, with out any need for competence certification. Me thinks Health and Safety is involved.
 
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