UKARA has no scheme for membership of under 18 year old airsoft players.
I keep getting this reported to me that we do, but we do not, and have no reason to do so as under 18 year old's cannot buy RiFs.
Quote from the last meeting at the Home Office ( poorly worded )
Illegal sales
Airsofters were concerned that the police were not pursuing those acting illegally (i.e. selling to under 18s or to those who did not meet one of the defences) which in turn was undermining the offence* ( I assume they meant Special Defence* ).
The Chair appreciated their concerns and added that airsoft retailers, to protect their position, must ensure that buyers are over 18 and that they fall within the provisions of the airsoft defence. From the perspective of self regulation this would include a check to ensure that the potential buyer was at least 18 and buying the gun for airsoft skirmishing. The Chair stated that while in last year’s meeting we had suggested that the parent of a regular skirmisher could buy an airsoft gun on the child’s behalf, as a matter of best practice it might be preferable to ensure that all buyers were over 18*."( and regards to RiFs eligible purchasers* )
I was hoping to get an absolutely definitive answer from the Home Office but in the end we go back to legislation tested by litigation, In other words until somebody has been taken to court for prosecution and convicted no precedent is set.
But until they remembered this, the prognosis was that it would be an illegal sale to sell to an under 18 year old player even if a "junior" member of an airsoft site via a non skirmishing parent. So if you sell to a non eligible person who has no access to the defence, e.g. the non eligible parent, you are leaving your self open to prosecution.
The purpose of the database is to make the selling of RiFs free from risk of prosecution of the seller thus enabling UKARA retail members to supply the eligible members of the Airsoft Community.
There seems several Catch 22 issues at the moment in junior players issues and the use of IFs, as we are also being told that if "IF's" are acceptable to be used on Airsoft game sites then our special defence which allows the purchase of RiFs may be in jeopardy as our case was made that we needed realist guns to suspend belief an ensure realism in game play.
Perhaps game site operators should insist on the temporary camouflaging of IF's when used in game play as I do not see why this should be consider manufacturing a RiF as it is not permanent only in effect a partial gun slip.