[Brian McIlmoyle]

I have researched the Violent Crime Reduction Bill enacted in the last parliment of the UK

In that case the goverment of the UK very closely regulated imitation firearms and air guns.

The act brought air guns under the same restrictions as firearms and outlawed possession of realistic imitations outright. Including the manufacture modification and import of realistic Imitation firearms.

It also banned anything other than face to face sales of air guns.

This means that in the UK only licensed gun dealers can sell air guns and they can only sell them face to face, and all sales must be registered.

There is built into the legislation an exclusion for both possession and sale of realistic imitations. That is in the context of Theatrical or movie/televison production. And..Historical Re-enactment.

This same law restricted possesion and sale of knives and swords as well with the same loopholes.

So in the UK airsoft guns are absolutly banned ... except when they are allowed..
and the distinction of whether a law has been broken or if the possession and use in any one case contravines the law rests with the police.

The one large difference between the UK and Canada is the the status of airsoft guns is clear. They are proscribed as air guns and as realistic imitations of firearms.


Our own laws are much less restrictive as they stand now.

Our current legislation is written very different than the UK law..the status of airsoft guns is defined by what they are not.. not by what they are.

It is the fact that there is not a clear definition in the criminal code that allows these objects to trickle into canada and to end up in our possession more or less "legally" Tightening the definition will not loosen restrictions when the societial winds are blowing in the direction they are today.