FAC & Club Attendence Minimum Requirements

[toffe wrapper]

It is based around good reason so walts and nutters do not hoard weapons. So use them or loose them, also you need to be a member of a club have shooting rights etc or have the facilities to use them. So wanting a 308 and only access to a .22 range = no 308. I am a club sec and support that shooters can have what ever is legal as long as they are active shooters. They may not shoot a paticular firearm often but as long as they shoot as often as possible and are active thats all good. Only turning up to make mininum attendance is a worry but allowance for medical work etc is ok. Some in our club have used the results on the club web site to confirm good reason when work has restricted attendance. I used this for a variation to show club had comp using that type of firearm.

TW

[the running man]

Well people spend enough time judging our hobby without actually trying it themselves so maybe it is a bit unfair to do the same to those who enjoy Airsoft "the running man"? I don't understand why anybody would want to spend their days walking around a field in tartan trousers hitting a small white ball with a set of overly priced sticks but I try not to judge them.

Also those who participate in Paintball don't suffer the same restrictions.

In some ways you are expressing the "I'm alright Jack" attitude that seems to permeate shooting as a whole. If it doesn't affect my particular discipline then who cares. Well it is death by a thousand small cuts, I know there are plenty antis out there who dislike anything that looks military for example. So why not restrict Civilian Service Rifle, what next? Just because Airsoft is not our thing doesn't mean we shouldn't support them when their sport is under attack.

Just look at the recent attack on Section 58(2) by various groups, the antis don't care what type of gun it is! It is all the same to them including Airsoft.

i dont like or encourage paint ball either.......I've had my time in the feild, my days of armed conflict as an instrument of the state is over.......perhaps I have a higher moral code than you but I consider pointing any gun at another human being to be coherently wrong and I'm not alone.......airsoft people worry me....airsoft re they able to dissimulation the real world from their fantasy world?........

[Fedaykin]

Well to be honest "the running man" you are very much making my point. Why don't you actually talk to people who participate in Airsoft or Paintball rather then judging them as worrying and doing something coherently wrong.

Because here is the rub that is EXACTLY what many people regard those who participate in shooting sports are like PERIOD! As far as I can make out the vast majority of those who participate in Airsoft or Paintball are perfectly capable of separating reality from fantasy. So how do you regard reenactors? Lots of them about playing soldier at the weekend! Do they scare you as well? I mean they are pointing guns at each other! What is the difference between somebody who spends his weekend reenacting a Peninsula war battle vs somebody who does Airsoft/Paintball skirmish?

As long as they are clear about safety, that they are pointing an Airsoft gun or Paintball marker at each other is immaterial. If we are asking the general public to not be bigoted against those who participate in shooting sports what does it say about us (people who participate in shooting sports) if we can't hold back the bigotry against Airsoft/Paintball?

So you did time in the army, great I respect that. But why the suspicion in respect of somebody who likes to do Airsoft/Paintball as a weekend hobby? Why judge them as dangerous when you clearly haven't taken the time to get to know them. Do you not see it is rather offensive to the many thousands who participate in Paintball and Airsoft to say they probably can't separate reality from fantasy. I would be! Next shooting show go and have a chat with them, you will probably find an interested audience who are keen to explore shooting sports further. Or you could just go and insult them...
What you call a "Higher moral code", I call "Snobbery"!

Seem fair to you?

[ordnance]

i dont like or encourage paint ball either.......I've had my time in the feild, my days of armed conflict as an instrument of the state is over.......perhaps I have a higher moral code than you but I consider pointing any gun at another human being to be coherently wrong and I'm not alone.......airsoft people worry me....airsoft re they able to dissimulation the real world from their fantasy world?........

Lots of people go paint balling for all sorts of reasons I see it as harmless fun. The same goes for airsoft if they enjoy it they are doing no harm.

[SevenSixTwo]

I've been an 'instrument of the state' too. I've also done airsoft - even run a site/club for the little 'walty barstewards'. Now I shoot "for real" again in a 'civilian' capacity. Don't be so quick to judge. It's all good fun.

Paintball IS still s*** though.

[SevenSixTwo]

What is interesting and not often known in shooting circles is those who participate in Airsoft using realistic (RIF) airsoft guns you need to be UKARA registered.

Only to purchase RIFs. You can also do so if you can avail yourself of any of the other defences. Possession of a RIF, providing you're over 18, requires nothing.

To be UKARA registered you need to be registered/member of an airsoft site and YOU MUST participate in at least three games in a two month period.

In no less than a two month period.

/pedant

Back on topic.

[450 Martini]

The UKARA registration is very easy to get around if you need a realistic imitation. I have purchased several for my collection as i do talks on the development of firearms and i have all of the British service arms from the brown bess up to the No 4 Enfield live and on ticket, i have a airsoft SLR and L85A2 to complete the timeline. I work in several museums and i am a member of a re-enactment group so i am exempt from the ban.

Regarding frequency of use, re-enactors have no checks on frequency of use, there are people i know who have FAC's who have not used their rifles in FOUR YEARS!
another re-enactor i know has SMLE on FAC for reenactment use despite the fact he only reenacts Vikings and has never actually fired his rifle. he keeps it as a "status" symbol.
This is a common occurrence in the living history world, a bloke who wants a gun joins a group turns up twice gets a membership card, gets a FAC then vanishes. Some of the more reputable societies have registers of attendance and if a member does not attend a event in a year then they inform the police.

[the running man]

Well to be honest "the running man" you are very much making my point. Why don't you actually talk to people who participate in Airsoft or Paintball rather then judging them as worrying and doing something coherently wrong.

Because here is the rub that is EXACTLY what many people regard those who participate in shooting sports are like PERIOD! As far as I can make out the vast majority of those who participate in Airsoft or Paintball are perfectly capable of separating reality from fantasy. So how do you regard reenactors? Lots of them about playing soldier at the weekend! Do they scare you as well? I mean they are pointing guns at each other! What is the difference between somebody who spends his weekend reenacting a Peninsula war battle vs somebody who does Airsoft/Paintball skirmish?

As long as they are clear about safety, that they are pointing an Airsoft gun or Paintball marker at each other is immaterial. If we are asking the general public to not be bigoted against those who participate in shooting sports what does it say about us (people who participate in shooting sports) if we can't hold back the bigotry against Airsoft/Paintball?

So you did time in the army, great I respect that. But why the suspicion in respect of somebody who likes to do Airsoft/Paintball as a weekend hobby? Why judge them as dangerous when you clearly haven't taken the time to get to know them. Do you not see it is rather offensive to the many thousands who participate in Paintball and Airsoft to say they probably can't separate reality from fantasy. I would be! Next shooting show go and have a chat with them, you will probably find an interested audience who are keen to explore shooting sports further. Or you could just go and insult them...
What you call a "Higher moral code", I call "Snobbery"!

Seem fair to you?

Try and justify your interest all you want, your still pointing guns at people.....something I do not like....The end......

[Demonic69]

Try and justify your interest all you want, your still pointing guns at people.....something I do not like....The end......

Signing up was a bit silly then wasn't it?
The people using them know they're not firearms, the same ways kids with water pistols (you have some serious issues btw) know that their friends or parents aren't going to die from a little soaking.
If you're having trouble separating reality from fantasy I'd suggest some sort of counselling mate, most normal people don't have that problem so I think you may be projecting a little

[SevenSixTwo]

Try and justify your interest all you want, your still pointing guns at people.....something I do not like....The end......

Then don't do it. There; that was easy, wasn't it?