MP: SAVE Airsoft!">Letter to MP: SAVE Airsoft!
Office of Hazel Blears MP
Minister of State
Home Office
50 Queen Anne’s Gate
London SW1H 9AT
Dear Mrs Blears,
I am writing to you today in response to the announced plans outlined in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill and specifically the sections concerning the availability of replica firearms.
Violent gun crime is now an unfortunate ever present fear. The media regularly pounce on any occurrences of gun crime and the picture painted is that guns are everywhere and moreover the police (being unarmed) are in need of help in dealing with the issue. However, one only has to read statistical articles published by the Home Office1 and compare those to the language and images conjured in the mainstream press to see that the perceived fear does not match the actual threat. The home office website shows that the vast majority of gun crime is concentrated in the gang areas of our major cities and not amok around the country as a whole. It would appear then that the most coherent strategy’s is directly combating these gangs and thus reducing the gun statistics, as well as crime levels as a whole. The reality is that simple reduction in guns does little to curb crime. For example, Japan has for many years held one of the lowest gun crime rates and this has been attributed to the simple low ownership of guns by the public. I invite you to read the very illuminating article by the director of the Firearms Research Project of Colorado2 that shows very clearly that the Japanese essentially live in a police state, which would be untenable here in the west and it is this that leads to low crime not gun control per say. The simple fact is that here in the west gun crime is very much in the hands of organised criminals I.E. people outside the control of any legal legislation in the first place.
On the other hand there are replica and air powered guns. The most obvious reason that replicas firearms are a concern is that they look like a real firearm. They are in fact functionally harmless, but the feeling is that people with these replicas may use them to threaten and terrorize and that the police cannot easily tell them from real steel guns3. All people would agree that children should not be in possession of firearms of any kind outside strict adult control and it is clear that the proposed bill will go some way to addressing this. The Bill should also put pay to the cheap spring powered plastic replicas available at markets and drastically reduce the number of these “toys” in the hands of children.
However, there are serious problems with it and I am writing to ask for you to pressure for an exception to be made. Airsoft is a type of air gun that shoots a 6mm or 8mm light plastic balls (usually .25 of a gram). These guns are generally gas, spring or battery powered and are classified as having under a 1 joule velocity. This is the velocity under which even a direct shot into the eye will not result in permanent damage (see the Select Committee on Home Affairs Second Report on firearms4). The problem with the Bill in its current form lay in the fact that it will also prevent responsible adults from enjoying the sports associated with airsoft guns. That is people like myself who are involved in the sport of airsoft target shooting or skirmishing. Skirmishing airsoft is very similar to paint ball but simply without the paint. I have been playing airsoft for many years and now regularly attend a club in the center of London where along with around 50 others play tactical games of skill and teamwork in a safe and monitored environment. The people who play this sport are from all walks of life. I myself work for a City of London merchant bank and there are all sorts of other professionals such as builders, millers, and even a few police officers who regularly meet up and play. Under this ban this sport will quickly die and livelihoods built around the sport will suffer. It appears very unfair to my thousands of fellows around the country, who perfectly sensibly and safely play, that their sport is being closed out in the illusion that it will actually help prevent crime in any real sense5.
Airsoft guns are generally made of plastic and it is not possible to convert one to fire live ammunition. They are functionally harmless. The problem is only one of how they look and their availability in unlicensed and unregulated stores such as market stalls. I ask you to consider an analogy to fencing. Remember back a few years to before the media became fixated on replica guns. Then they were more focused on swords. Samurai style swords were and still are readily available to buy in this country. The analogy is to banning the sale of fencing foils in order to reduce the perceived sword crime figures. Fencing foils look like swords, they act like swords, their owners would be in serious trouble if they terrorized the public with them, and the police have a hard time telling one apart from a real sword in an emergency. They are, however, harmless. Just as airsoft guns are harmless. Would the government faced with rising sword crime ban the sale of fencing foils? No. They would simply ask the fencing community to make sure that the foils are capable to being told apart from real swords. This is the compromise that is needed to save my sport.
In the US airsoft guns are made with bright orange paint on the tips of their barrels. These tips are required on all imported or exported guns, are a crime to remove, and required for a valid warranty. I am asking that the government look at having the same requirements for UK airsoft player’s guns coupled with licensing for their importation. licensing shops and websites selling airsoft guns in the UK would immediately stop their sale at markets to the underage, drastically reduce the numbers in the hands of children and teenagers, but at the same time allow those of us who play responsibly to continue to do so. Be sure that whilst airsoft is not itself being directly banned, the banning of buying new guns will kill this fairly new but popular sport.
This compromise will stop the market stalls and cheap guns in the hands of children, while at the same time making the correct judgment that airsoft is a viable sport played by adults in a safe manner, just like fencing. Just like rugby. Just like hockey.
The airsoft community led by the retailers is more than willing to work with the government6. Please pressure the government to work with the airsoft community7, we will listen and we are dedicated to being responsible.
Many thanks for reading my communication.
Yours faithfully,
James Bell
I have also a number of footnotes:
1.http://www.connected.gov.uk/facts/statistics/index.html
2.http://www.guncite.com/journals/dkjgc.html
3.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4072244.stm
4.http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmhaff/95/9504.htm
5.http://www.civitas.org.uk/pubs/respect.php
6.http://saveairsoft.org/
7.While airsoft has no official governing body, many players are congregated around web forums such as http://www.airsoftcommunity.co.uk/forums/ and http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/
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Game on!
There is a lot of talk on the forums about playing with the beautiful WA range of pistols. Opinions are seriously divided between those who, not to put too fine a point on it, hate WA’s:
QUOTE(Ghost_Rider @ May 11 2005, 06:20 PM)
Yes. Don’t buy overpriced unskirmishworthy pistols.This has been a public service announcement from the “W.A.P.S” consortium.
…and those who like them. Personally, I think it is time to put this one to bed! I have therefore taken up the challenge of skirmishing with WA’s and writing about my experiences here.
Well another week rolls around and the pistols are taken out for a beating!
This week Electrowerkz was nice and quiet. There was only 24 people playing and this led to tactics and skills coming into play and not simply relying on rushing and flooding the place with BB’s. The guys running the site are trying hard to sort out the problems they have had in the past, like hot guns and people using nothing but box mags and hundreds of moscarts being shot per night and overall I think the place is getting slowly to where it needs to be.
The pistols tested were the WA Colt Detla Élite and my Tokyo Marui Desert Eagle Hardkick.
Both represent the best their respective manufacturers can come up with. I ran them both on normal gas and got game on!
I noted the following.
1. At one point the DE locked back the slide and somehow (user error) the saftey clicked on. This meant that the slide would not slide home and it took me a good few minutes to realise why. This got me killed!
2. The mags for the Colt seem to have a few niggles. Namely, because they are the ones with the mag bumpers, you have to use the fill adapter to get your gas bottle to reach the valve or you cant gas up. This often doest sit perfectly and I end up with gas all over my hand. This also leads to the loss of power before the mag has fired all its BB’s and that is bad.
In one game we had to attack a base and take out the defenders. We had held the base for 11 minutes when we were defending and this was the time to beat in attack. With the defenders having only one life we decided to pistol rush them and take them out, get hit and regen. Some may think this is against the spirit of the game but I would remind you that it is a game and any game requires you to recognise the rules and work tactically to win. Anyway, the opposition were not ready for this tactic and so whilst one member laced through the door we ran full speed though and got the two pistol John Woo effect out to play. Its worth pointing out that I don’t know the Gun Kata…
…so I did get seriously laced up once I had stopped moving but for those brief seconds (about 6) I was the fastest thing in the room and able to get over 40 BB’s through the pistols into my targets. I pleased to say both pistols worked a charm. One thing that I noticed was that the Desert Eagle, despite its size, cycled faster than the colt and I ran dry on it first even though it had more rounds and I was firing what i thought was simultaneously. I have a couple of close team mates at Electrowerkz and we play well together and don’t need to confer before we cover and trust each other. This is the trick to organising tactical maneuvers that work!
2 opponents went down.
As you can see the room is very very dark:
My team fighting in from the other end of the floor took the opportunity to push forward at their flank and we soon won the game in under 6 minutes.
Next week I will be taking out the Wilson Supergrade Compact and the Desert Eagle. I will report the performance here!
Basho
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There is a lot of talk on the forums about playing with the beautiful WA range of pistols. Opinions are seriously divided between those who, not to put too fine a point on it, hate WA’s:
QUOTE(Ghost_Rider @ May 11 2005, 06:20 PM)
Yes. Don’t buy overpriced unskirmishworthy pistols.This has been a public service announcement from the “W.A.P.S” consortium.
…and those who like them. Personally, I think it is time to put this one to bed! I have therefore taken up the challenge of skirmishing with WA’s and writing about my experiences here.
Firstly, who the fuck am I? Well, I’m a regular player at the London Electrowerkz venue run by Firefight Airsoft. I play most-every tuesday with a couple of friends and I like to kick ass. I am not a newbie. My play style is fast. I like to wear close fitting clothes which don’t inhibit movement and strong front body armor to allow me to make the more sucidal rushes without being badly hurt. I use a Webtex Cross draw vest (gun on left) and one of my many right hip and thigh holsters. To keep me moving fast my AEG is a MP5 but to make sure that my pistols get well used I only take out 1 hi-cap mag. One of my specialities is the two pistol rush, John Woo style, with maximum speed (amazingly this works great as enemies tend to get dug in and immobile) firing full and clearing, reloading as I go.
Basically then my guns all get well used! But what guns are they?
I will be field testing five different pistols to keep this comparison on an even keel:
1. Tokyo Marui Desert Eagle Hard Kick. This monster of a pistol is my current favorite. Purchased for £110 from new this baby fires on green at 300fps.
2. Tokyo Marui Glock 18c MAEG . This is probably the most accurate skirmish pistol in the world because it has zero kick back. This little beauty can really lay rounds down through the same hole. Purchased for £100 it clocks in at about 260–270.
3. Western Arms Colt Delta Élite (silver) . This is the first WA I bought. Second hand, but in great shape, this is a wonderful looking gun. Currently upgraded with a new return spring. I paid £100 for this, a mag, delivery and a very very nice holster.
4.Western Arms Wilson Super grade Compact (two tone). This little baby is my latest purchase. Using the same mags as the Delta it is heavy and powerful as well as accurate. Bought second hand it has a few upgrades (not sure what) and was £100 including postage.
5.Unknown make mostly metal 92fs. Bought 10 years ago for £200, probably worth £80 now. Nice gun but not to modern standards of accuracy. Takes green no problem.
As you can see all the guns were roughly the same price, the only difference is that the Tokyo Marui’s are new and the Western Arms’s are second hand. In other words, can you skirmish WA’s for the same price as TM’s and do they work as well?
NIGHT ONE! Tuesday 17th May.
The Usual Suspects congregated at Electrowerkz for their weekly ass kicking session. Also present were a high number of new comers and the usual experts such as the Dark Angels.
My Load out was as follows:
Webtex cross draw. WA Wilson in the cross draw and the Colt Delta Élite in the Bianchi on my right hip (by the way, I cannot recommend the Bianchi range of holsters enough. They are bloody great).
(sorry for the crap photo, they will be clearer next time).
One thing to keep in mind is that Electrowerkz is dirty, wet and full of hard walls. If a gun (and indeed a player) can survive here, they can survive anywhere.
Memorable events:
I got to use the pistols in the very first game of the night; Battle Field. This is a domination type game that requires your team to hold two out of the three floors to win the game. Common battle points are stairs, dark rooms and corridors. Very quickly the AEG ran dry and it was pistols time!
The immediate benefit of the WA’s is the safety features. Both pistols enable you to holster them cocked and ready to fire. In fact you cannot put the safety on until the hammer is back. This enables you to draw and fire very very quickly, as you simply have to click off the safety to go live. The Delta has only a right handed safety, but the Wilson has both right and left. The other feature that becomes apparent is that the WA’s don’t hold many BB’s. In fact you have 15 in each. This is only just more than the TM Desert Eagle holds in one mag! Obviously, you need to be careful with your shots or able to reload quickly.
The enemy had held us from descending our stairs for most of the game, but a lucky hit had forced them to withdraw. I led the team (mostly newbies and one pro) down with both pistols at the ready. again the ease of cornering with pistols is a god send, you are simply much more mobile than with an AEG. Coming to the bottom of the stairs we were presented with the nightmare that is the ground floor final mesh staircase. This is almost impossible to take against a prepared enemy.
As you can see, it is a bastard of a narrow, turning, stair that draws fire like you wouldn’t believe. We decide to rush it. Running down the stair I draw fire from the front and unload the pistols rapid fire in return, hitting the enemy in the knees.
The knees? Where as many people are used to green gas enabled heavy kick and fast fire pistols, the WA’s have a drop that much shorter. I was aiming at the opponents face and only managed to hit his knees. Still he was dead and I wasn’t. I forced another enemy to withdraw with some fire and both pistols clicked back empty. This was most annoying. I quickly tried to reload. 15 shots is not many and I will have to practice reloading to be effective. Reloaded, I attacked again, only to be mowed down by three guys (and shot in the thumb – ow!). Much to my dismay as I walked back was that my team (apart from my brother) were still cowering up the damn stairs. There is nothing worse than a rush where you are the only one with balls enough to go. I know a few players that would have done a Russian Commissar on any newbie that didn’t charge.
Still, the pistols performed well if a little inaccurate. I put this down to my newness with WA’s (at the moment). No problems with mags or gas venting, nor problems with the blow back. On the vest they stayed put and gave me none of the problems the Desert Eagles does with its weight.
Next week I will be taking the Colt Delta along with my Desert Eagle to test them side by side in the same battle.
I will also be taking some movies of the action as well as a lot more pictures!
So until then, best regards,
Basho
PS: Please post your comments and suggestions in the comments section, I WILL NOT spam you.
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A fine article from the weekend about Airsoft, the shooting game I play every tuesday
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If, like me, you like to play airsoft then you need to remember these hand signals which are excellent for communicating quietly!
very very funny too!
Basho
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