Full Auto In The Uk (again)

[AlexFarkouh]

Originally posted by le-pig
time to name and shame then ,best way to stop them is to hit them in the pocket

Well a certain well known paintball retailer in "North East Lincolnshire" comes to mind as they seem to stock most of the Spider range.

I don't quite see what the problem is, if all the legitimate UK retails got together and refused to sell kit that is illegal in the UK the manufacturers would have to release different software versions for the different markets, that way when players complain about prices being higher here than in the US the retailer can then just tell the truth, that if the player grey imports the marker from the US it will be illegal, whereas if they buy the marker from a UK outlet they will be guaranteed to have a UK legal marker, which I am sure the majority of players would appreciate.

Obviously some players will always try and get every advantage they can and will grey import illegal markers, but then that will just reflect badly on the individual not the whole paintball community. I have seen Angels that have been imported from the states that seem to have extra modes of fire, but most players purchase a UK legal software version through normal channels.

Don't forget that the law is so tight on firearms in the UK now that just owning a component that can make your (or someone else's) marker go into burst or full auto mode is a full blown firearms offence, so even that copy of the US software for your board hidden on your hard drive could technically get you locked up.

Compare this with some of the radio equipment we sell, I can legally sell you non UK spec kit that can transmit at 10 times the power you are legally allowed to use in the UK and as long as you never actually turn the power up that high you have broken no law, I would obviously expain this to you and make sure you understood the legal ramification if you did, but lets be honest even if you did get caught they propably won't do much more than make you turn it down and if a repeat offender maybe a fine.

This was just to show how strick out firearm laws are now in the UK compared with other walk of life.

 

[AlexFarkouh]

Originally posted by Buddha 3
Cool, that's all paintball guns illegal then. They ALL can be made full auto by flicking a switch or replacing a part. Yes, even the cheap ones.

Having a marker that can only go burst or full auto if the software is changed or a part changed is not illegal, it is the owning of the replacement software or part that will get you nicked. Or obviously combining the two.

 

[Azz3h]

It's not worth going on about it - the only time people are going to realise how dangerous it is is when someone gets taken to court and jailed due to it!

 

[Collier]

Originally posted by Buddha 3
Cool, that's all paintball guns illegal then. They ALL can be made full auto by flicking a switch or replacing a part. Yes, even the cheap ones.

Was just gonna say that!

Paul

 

[FAMINE]

Sold a few spyders to punters, all supplied from a nice NW UK shop, None had the full auto/burst functions enabled and Jumper to do so was not included in the box.
Now within a week that same punter arrived on site with his nice full auto spyder, happy with the fact that all it took was a jumper from a PC to alter it. Although not too happy when we refused to let him use it, and explained the consequences

Now my point is it isnt the suppliers that are to blame a lot of the time. The majority of ballers think full auto is a lot less effort than moving ya fingers. We educate them and do you really think it will change them?

Nah

Bet you a grand as soon as he got home, the jumper was back on the marker and he was out in his garden shooting the fence!

As an Industry we have been educating for a long time, and will continue to do so, but the cold reality is it only takes one fool to ruin it. Although i do believe the powers that be can see what the trade and sites already do to promote safety and hopefully just prosecute the fool for being a fool


Now onto DOT bottles, Im pretty sure it is legal to sell them. Just the case that sites are not covered by insurance (and there by the law) to fill them. You can fill em yourself off site in the privacy of your own home!!!
Now the question would be, did they sell it as a DOT bottle, and therefore your own fault for buying it. Yes it sucks, and personally we wouldnt sell DOTs, but if he sold it as such he is doing nothing illegal, just immoral!

 

[JoseDominguez]

My comment about full auto was taken a bit out of context though..... I was refering to cases where the player has the part you need to replace, when I said replace I meant "put back something you've taken out and kept" not "substitute with something you've ordered specially" i.e. they own both the marker and the full auto board, I then said the marker needed to be capable of firing full auto to be illegal..... not possible if you don't have the offending part installed. As for flicking a switch? well that's something else entirely. I own E-blades, a Timmy, a shocker and a cocker..... none of which are capable of firing full auto without me ordering new parts or physically modifying the marker. Maybe I wasn't clear enough, just assumed everyone used replace as "to put something back" not "exchange or switch over", sorry.
I meant this as advice for those players who didn't know........ just like the entire team that practiced with us at the weekend. The rest of us should know better. I didn't intend for this to be a debate on top end guns/software etc........
My post related to low end markers, currently on sale and aimed at rec/new players who aren't aware of the law/tourney rules etc...... Cheap markers that are auto capable out of the box (in this case a spyder with the full auto bridge installed.easy to remove, but also easy to REPLACE)...... any experienced baller knows all of this already.
So instead of arguing over my use of English .......... is the following statement true or not "FULL AUTO IS ILLEGAL IN THE UK" if so, then it's a handy bit of info for any UK baller/retailer/site to be aware of and it's a nice clear message.

Oh and I don't think we should be naming and shaming anyone..... no retailer in their right mind would do this deliberately.... it's just bad info.

I was hoping to save some new players a bit of hassle, not start an argument. (for example, this lad now has two weeks to get his marker sorted for simply the best..... if he hadn't played on Sunday he'd have found out his marker was illegal when Russell checked it on the 14th.... could be other ballers in the same boat).

 

[Paint Marine]

Originally posted by Buddha 3
Cool, that's all paintball guns illegal then. They ALL can be made full auto by flicking a switch or replacing a part. Yes, even the cheap ones.

well i know bit bout comps and that sorrta stuff canrt the sites that are selling this sorrta stuff make it so that english ip address carnt view the site..........then they carnt buy them

it sounds sad that we would have to go to this lenght but if people wanna bugger up ball for evry1 else i think they should b named and shamed,

and SHOT (not with a paintball)


[Marine:-Not Amused]

 

[JoseDominguez]

No need to get so upset......... as long as everyone is aware,, then they won't buy........ problem solved

 

[Buddha 3]

Jose,

I understand the difference you are talking about, but I think "tha man" will not really be too bothered by this small difference. It's inconsequential whether a small bit has to be taken out, or whether you need to hook your gun up to a PC for a few minutes. Totally different ways of going about it, but same end result.
Anybody own an Angel LCD? That semi only lock that the European boards have is dead easy to bypass...
If any government body gets interested in all this (and I think that's a big if), I doubt they would give a rat's ass about the difference between a gun that can go full auto by removing a part and a gun that can do the same after altering the software.

Another thing that strikes me as odd, as that in the ruling over in the UK a gun is not a firearm as long as it shoots with an amount of force lower than X joules (dunno the exact amount), which translates into as long as your gun shoots 300 fps or lower, you're good. But (here's the catch) the wording of the ruling seems to state that a gun CAPABLE of shooting with more force than that magical X amount is a firearm. I'm pretty sure most markers cranked up to the max will easily overshoot this requirement. As the ruling is worded, it makes no difference that we have it turned down to shoot lower than 300, it can shootabove the boundary if we want it too, without making any alterations to the gun itself, so it is a firearm. I think the ruling was written by a person that presumes paintball guns are factory made to never shoot above 300 fps...

You lot have a potential problem on your hands...then again, you judges wear wigs, so they can be expected to be a bit funny.

 

[Azz3h]

Yeah, but a marker can be put over 300 fps by twisting a screw, but it's just as easy to do it with an air rifle - by replacing or stretching the spring. And to Paint Marine: That's a great idea but probably wouldn't work in practice - people shouldn't need to be blocked from viewing certain websites (freedom of speech) - They should just know that fully auto is illegal, full stop.

What about this: http://www.havocpaintball.com/mini_gun_t.htm
how blatently full auto is that! Yes it may be a special effect sort of thing for a site but does anyone know if a site can legally own one of these beasts?