On a more serious basis.
Self defence in the UK
You can defend yourself to a 'reasonable' manner. You must not pre-empt your self defence, you must not have weapons for self defence.
It is reasonable for you to pick up something that it is reasonable to be to hand.
It does not have to be reasonable only in retrospect. You could go too far in the heat of the moment and it remain reasonable for the limited information you had at the time and in how much fear you are.
If you are serious about your self defence plans don't be stupid enough to publicise your plans beforehand, especially not on the internet. This removes every defence of acting in the moment in fear for your life.
With regard to paintball. It is now an offence with a £1000 fine if air weapons are not secured when in any property is occupied by, accessed by or could be occupied by children. In this legislation 'air weapons' includes paintball markers.
If you have children, or family or other children who ever visit then this law applies. If you get broken into by a child then techinically it applies.
(All to do with the tragic death of a child with an airgun. If it had been secured then the child would be alive today)
Along with the above legislation, and the fact there are virtually zero reasonable circumstances for you to have an aired up marker with paint or reballs then you have no self defence clause. The only circumstance would be a break in while you are testing a marker at home indoors.
Use a marker in 'self defence' and it will be considered an offensive weapon. Use reballs and unless you are in the gery area of low velocity (remember reballs are not frangible) you have gone beyond the 'air weapon' definition and are verging on firearms legislation.
You are then using an unlicenced firearm as an offensive weapon in 'self defence'
Note the cricket bat example, (but forget about burying the body in woodlands) This is not normally considered a weapon, is fairly reasonable to be around and dos not have to be secured. If you never play cricket \ baseball \ rounders then you probably would not reasonably have the related equipment around, though it could be an autographed souvenier.
Most of your efforts should be directed at securing your property and making yourself less attractive to a burglar.
Have good locks, don't have a giant TV, and games, computers etc by the window. When you buy new technology don't put the boxes outside for a week before the bin men come. Consider your environment, if you live in chav central or on main streets be more sublte about the contents of your home, if in a nice quiet close then there are less passers by but remember people do come to your street sometimes.
Remember if you are unfortunate enough to meet a burglar then remember you are the one who has been surprised, they are also the one that probably has the adrenalin already. If you can then in the first moments be the big scary householder and unless you can restrain them until you can get the police - allow them a line of escape.
Remember the farmer who shot a burglar.
Reasonable for a farmer to have a shotgun, but it should be locked away and unloaded.
But a farmer who hears noises outside mught need to act on vermin, eg he might have heard his chickens make a noise and worried about a fox.
However it is not reasonable for a farmer to have a sawn off shotgun, and its not too good if a farmer tells everyone he would shoot a burglar.
Shooting the teenage burglar in the back and not the big burly one does not look too good for his 'self defence' plea.
Hence to the Daily Mails displeasure a farmer goes to jail.
Self defence in the UK
You can defend yourself to a 'reasonable' manner. You must not pre-empt your self defence, you must not have weapons for self defence.
It is reasonable for you to pick up something that it is reasonable to be to hand.
It does not have to be reasonable only in retrospect. You could go too far in the heat of the moment and it remain reasonable for the limited information you had at the time and in how much fear you are.
If you are serious about your self defence plans don't be stupid enough to publicise your plans beforehand, especially not on the internet. This removes every defence of acting in the moment in fear for your life.
With regard to paintball. It is now an offence with a £1000 fine if air weapons are not secured when in any property is occupied by, accessed by or could be occupied by children. In this legislation 'air weapons' includes paintball markers.
If you have children, or family or other children who ever visit then this law applies. If you get broken into by a child then techinically it applies.
(All to do with the tragic death of a child with an airgun. If it had been secured then the child would be alive today)
Along with the above legislation, and the fact there are virtually zero reasonable circumstances for you to have an aired up marker with paint or reballs then you have no self defence clause. The only circumstance would be a break in while you are testing a marker at home indoors.
Use a marker in 'self defence' and it will be considered an offensive weapon. Use reballs and unless you are in the gery area of low velocity (remember reballs are not frangible) you have gone beyond the 'air weapon' definition and are verging on firearms legislation.
You are then using an unlicenced firearm as an offensive weapon in 'self defence'
Note the cricket bat example, (but forget about burying the body in woodlands) This is not normally considered a weapon, is fairly reasonable to be around and dos not have to be secured. If you never play cricket \ baseball \ rounders then you probably would not reasonably have the related equipment around, though it could be an autographed souvenier.
Most of your efforts should be directed at securing your property and making yourself less attractive to a burglar.
Have good locks, don't have a giant TV, and games, computers etc by the window. When you buy new technology don't put the boxes outside for a week before the bin men come. Consider your environment, if you live in chav central or on main streets be more sublte about the contents of your home, if in a nice quiet close then there are less passers by but remember people do come to your street sometimes.
Remember if you are unfortunate enough to meet a burglar then remember you are the one who has been surprised, they are also the one that probably has the adrenalin already. If you can then in the first moments be the big scary householder and unless you can restrain them until you can get the police - allow them a line of escape.
Remember the farmer who shot a burglar.
Reasonable for a farmer to have a shotgun, but it should be locked away and unloaded.
But a farmer who hears noises outside mught need to act on vermin, eg he might have heard his chickens make a noise and worried about a fox.
However it is not reasonable for a farmer to have a sawn off shotgun, and its not too good if a farmer tells everyone he would shoot a burglar.
Shooting the teenage burglar in the back and not the big burly one does not look too good for his 'self defence' plea.
Hence to the Daily Mails displeasure a farmer goes to jail.
