Do what you like to defend yourself but there is no right to use a 'self defence weapon'
If children have access to your home then it is now an offence to not secure paintball markers, which takes away most defences for having a marker aired up and loaded
Mentioning your intent in public such as on a forum can be used against you as premeditated and therefore not defence with what was to hand
Contrary to political statements and the Daily Mail etc there have been no real changes to self defence laws. You have the right to defend yourself with reasonable force. You do not have he right to assault trespassers or attackers with more than reasonable force or to carry or have items/weapons with the intent to defend
Quite a while back we had a lot of pepper spray like products being marketed for women for anti rape. These went away and are replaced by rape alarms. However if a lady pulls her hairspray out and sprays an attacker in the face it is just self defence with something she normally carries
Talk is big but be sensible. Don't plan on setting yourself up in court being prosecuted for assaulting some chav who breaks into your house
I'm pretty much down with what you have said. Something like that Shield/Table/Bat thing up there would be classed under "made, adapted or intended" so probably no good to us in the UK.
The section in Bold, though is not true of Markers. True of an Air Weapon, yes but not of a Marker.
HO Guidelines (and I have them here) define Firearms, define Air Weapons, defines when an Air Weapon
becomes a Firearm and states what either may or may not be permitted to do. All air weapons are Firearms and a Firearm is defined as "lethal barrelled", that is to say that it is designed to be a weapon, and fire a projectile that is designed to cause a penetrating injury. Markers were never designed to be a weapon, fire frangible ammunition and don't cause penetrating injuries. Worst case scenario, is from Scenario players who may have a marker that could be described as an Imitation Firearm...if used inappropriately. The Guidelines also go on to state that markers (used in "adventure games") should
not be considered as Firearms.
The UKPSF site states much of this, but then oddly goes on to suggest that Markers that fired more than 300 fps would require a licence. I am sure the UKPSF realise this isn't quite true, but on such a Public site and for the benefit of the Sport etc, is probably right to err on the side of caution.
If a Marker was an Airweapon, there would be no ramping. < Period.
No firearm is permitted to fire more than one shot per cycle (pull of the trigger), which means no Air Weapon can either. Ramping is a form of Full Auto and so as such, FA modes are also legal. I am ignoring Airsoft, but same applies to them...but they fire at less than 1 Joule, but do not have frangible ammunition...and...also have the Imitation Firearm cloud looming over them.
Point being...you should not keep your marker away from children because the Law requires it...but you should do it from common sense.
Should the circumstances be right and you fired upon an attacker, within your home (well within), you would not be attacking them with an airweapon or firearm. But you would need to consider reasonable force...as always.
If you drilled an attacker, perhaps on your stairs...and he turn and ran away...you stop. Your legal.
If you drilled an attacker, perhaps on your stairs...and then stopped shooting when he was within reach and kicked his dazed and confused ass, down the stairs and threw him out of the door...and closed it. Your legal.
If you drilled an attacker, perhaps on your stairs...and went for his eyes, then drilled his face while he lay screaming, then drilled him in the mouth...barrel in the mouth...then beat the living poop out of him with the bottle...then dragged him outside...then beat him some more....your ass is grass.
I have some fun toys that I have on Licence. Can I access them quickly? Nope, not as quick as any number of blunt or bladed objects that most people have in their house. If however, someone was attacking my house, with
similar toys....I could could acquire mine and defend myself and it would still be reasonable.
