DOWNLOAD YOUR REGISTRATION FORM HERE (PDF, 798KB)

The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006

The Violent Crime Reduction Act (Sec.36) makes it an offence to:
- Manufacture a realistic imitation firearm (RIF)
- Modify an imitation firearm (IF) so it becomes a RIF
- Sell a RIF
- Bring a RIF in to Great Britain or cause one to be brought into Great Britain.

HOWEVER, Airsoft has gained a specific defence in the act meaning that from 01/10/2007, anyone intending to purchase a RIF from Wolf Armouries must either:

- Be a registered UKARA member or a member of a registered Airsoft skirmishing site. To purchase online, customers will need to be UKARA registered.
- Have the majority of the RIF brightly coloured to make it an IF instead of a RIF (detailed below)
- Acquire it under other specific defence conditions.

The VCRA increases the minimum legal age to buy an IF or RIF to 18. Nb. This doesn't affect Wolf sales as we already operate a minimum age (18) policy. It is also important to note that the VCRA only affects customers in the UK.

UKARA Registration

The UKARA (United Kingdom Airsoft Retailers Association) holds a database of registered Airsoft players. In order to register you need to follow these steps:

1. Log onto www.ukara.org.uk and find the UKARA registered skirmish site of your choice. You'll need membership to a registered site so it’s worth checking out a few. You can also get some great money off deals from Wolf Armouries in conjunction with a number of UKARA sites. Click here for details.

2. Download the UKARA registration form

3. Fill out the details and read the information.

4. Take the completed form with the appropriate ID documents as detailed on the form to your site. Once you have obtained membership to your site you must play 3 times in no less than 2 months. The site will make a record of this. After you have played the required 3 times your formed will be stamped and signed by the site official. *If you are a regular player at your UKARA site and they have on record that you have played there at least 3 times, you may not have to play the additional 3 times before your UKARA form is stamped and signed. This is at the discretion of the UKARA sites

5. Return the completed, stamped and signed form to us (do not leave or send your completed form to the skirmish site company/organiser (unless they are a UKARA retailer of course)) and we will enter you on to the database, after which you can purchase RIFs.

If you are not registered with an Airsoft site or with UKARA yet or cannot get along to an Airsoft skirmish site to get registered then you can still purchase Airsoft guns under certain conditions.

In line with the Violent Crime Reduction Act (Sec38 (3) (b)), a gun is deemed unrealistic if the majority (i.e. +50%) is in a bright colour.
Acceptable colours detailed in the act are (Available colours from us are marked in bold):
- bright redAvailable
- bright orange -
- bright yellow
- bright green
- bright pink &
- bright purple

Wolf Armouries are now offering modifications to any R.I.F such as the ones shown below:

M4A1 (top pic) is in bright orange. MP5 (bottom ) is bright red.

This service is offered on all guns for a standard fee of £15 (this may vary for different guns/ more 'custom' work) but it is essential you mention in the 'Comments box' that you need the gun coloured and what colour you would prefer. However if the colour you prefer is unavailable, a suitable colour will be chosen for you. Choice of colour is not an option as this piantjob is for legal issues and is NOT a custom paintjob.

Conditions on the sale of modified guns :
- Not available to under 18s
- Guns must be modified so that more than 50% is of an unrealistic colour
- Colours available are detailed above

PLEASE NOTE THAT MODIFYING THESE UNREALISTIC IMMITATION FIREARMS TO MAKE THEM REALISTIC (i.e. SPRAYING OVER THE COLOURED AREAS WITH BLACK PAINT) IS AGAINST THE LAW AND, CLEARLY, NOT RECOMMENDED. Modified guns cannot be returned or refunded under the normal returns policy. Click here for details. Painting of guns takes approximatly 1 week. Please bear this in mind when placing an order.

Specific Defences

Other specific defences/exemptions exist for:
- Re-enactment (To purchase RIFs proof of membership to a re-enactment society is required along with 2 forms of ID with at least 1 needing to be photographic).
- Film, TV & Theatrical productions (To purchase RIFs official production company letter detailing use of the RIF is required along with 2 forms of ID with at least 1 needing to be photographic).
- Crown Servants (To purchase RIFs for training use only. Purchase must be by the MOD. 2 forms of ID are also required with at least 1 being photographic.

VCRA details

'Realistic Imitation Firearms' & Imitation Firearms Sections 36,37,38,39 & 40:

What is a realistic imitation firearm?

The VCRA introduces the term 'realistic imitation firearm'. A 'realistic imitation firearm' is one which, for all intents and purposes, is indistinguishable from a real firearm.

What is an imitation firearm?

The term 'imitation firearm' is defined in the Firearms Act 1968 as being 'any thing which has the appearance of being a firearm, whether or not it is capable of discharging any shot, bullet or other missile.'

An imitation firearm, irrespective of the type of firearm or which it is an imitation, will not be considered to be a realistic imitation firearm if it is of a specified principal colour:
i) bright red
ii) bright orange
iii) bright yellow
iv) bright pink
v) bright purple;
vi) transparent

What does 'Principal' colour mean?

'Principal' is defined in the dictionary as being; 'first in the order of importance, main'. Thus, if an imitation firearm is to be, for example, two-toned, it must have one of the above listed colours as the principal colour (i.e. +50%).

'Realistic Imitation Firearm' and 'Imitation Firearm' examples

An imitation Colt 1911 pistol in black would be considered a realistic imitation firearm. If it were principally bright red then it would be considered an imitation firearm.

If an imitation firearm is less than 38mm in height and less than 70mm long it could not be considered to be a realistic imitation firearm, it would just be an imitation firearm. So if the Colt 1911 mentioned above was black, but only 60mm long, it would be considered an imitation firearm, not a realistic imitation firearm.

How does the VCRA define a 'real' firearm

The VCRA says that a 'real firearm' is one of modern design, and in turn clarifies this as being of a design from the year 1870 onwards. An imitation of a modern firearm (unless it were in one of the principal colours and/or was under 38mm in height and 70mm in length), would therefore be defined as a realistic imitation firearm.

However, if the imitation firearm is of a firearm; 'the appearance of which would tend to identify as having a design and mechanism of a sort first dating before the year 1870', then it is not a realistic imitation firearm and is an imitation firearm.

At what age is a person allowed to buy or sell an imitation firearm?

It is an offence for a person under the age of 18 to purchase an imitation firearm and it is an offence to sell an imitation firearm to a person under the age of 18.

Does the VCRA apply to those realistic imitations and imitations already possessed?

The Act does not affect the possession of existing realistic imitation firearms and imitation firearms, but does prohibit the sale of existing realistic imitation firearms, or the modification or existing imitation firearms so that they would become realistic imitations.

If you require any further details, please e-mail:
info @ wolfarmouries . co . uk