North East and Cumbria: Gun control

Airsoft guns are toys but look like real weapons

Gun control is always a hot political topic, but it's replica guns that are increasingly making the news. So do we need yet more gun controls for replica and toy guns in the UK?

Once again the headlines have been full of horror stories about the gun culture which some people say is blighting Britain.

Politicians of every party have been quick to condemn the people who think a gun is a vital fashion accessory, and there's new talk of tightening up our already stringent gun legislation.

This time there are proposals to legislate against another side of the firearms industry - the replica.

Replicas are designed to look and feel just like the genuine article. It's likely that in the future it will be illegal to have one of these on your person in public, unless you can show a good reason. But is the Home Office missing a trick?

Toy or menace?

Not all replicas are the same. There's the standard blank-firing version, made of metal and looking every bit like its real counterpart. This is what most people mean when they refer to 'replicas'.

But there's also a type which, strictly speaking, is not a replica at all. "Airsoft" guns are legally classified as toys, even though they look exactly like real weapons and are therefore replicas by any definition of the word.

Confused? You wouldn't be the only one.

Does their classification as toys mean they'll escape any new legislation covering replica firearms? It's not clear yet.

But even if they DO fall within any new laws, isn't this unfair on the responsible people who buy them to take part in battle re-enactments or war games? After all, how many people were ever murdered with a toy machine gun?

Police warning

The police authorities are concerned that replica guns are easily confused with the real thing, and are often hard to identify.

Cleveland Police confiscate around one airsoft gun a day - often from children - and Durham Police pick up about 100 every year.

The police say if they're confronted with someone brandishing one of them, they have no way of telling it from the real thing and there's every chance the person could be shot dead.

We want your views

What do you think? Is the government guilty of a knee-jerk reaction to a serious problem, determined to be seen to be 'doing something?'.

Is it right that law-abiding, responsible airsoft enthusiasts should feel the weight of the law, even though their particular weapons are no more than toys?

Or maybe you think ALL forms of replica weapons, toys or otherwise, are responsible for generating an unhealthy obsession with guns among young men?

Airsoft guns have been used in armed robberies and - although the victims might not have been shot - the psychological trauma of being confronted with someone pointing a gun at you can be profound and long-term, especially if you have no way of knowing whether or not the gun is real.

Drop us an email below and share your thoughts, whichever side of the argument you're on. It's what we're here for.

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