Latest re: Steyr LP50

[bighit]

What then happens to those people who already HAVE such a pistol, or, like me, its predecessor?

tac

write to the home office and ask. get it from the organ grinders and not the monkeys.

surely if you ended up in court due to it, the CPS would no doubt ask the home office for their say on it.

[Brian.Samson]

write to the home office and ask. get it from the organ grinders and not the monkeys.

surely if you ended up in court due to it, the CPS would no doubt ask the home office for their say on it.

There wasn't a problem with SA air for 17 years - no one cared.
This whole thing started a couple of years ago when people started demanding clarification of the Home Office. And now we're in the uncertain position we're in today.

My advice is - stop poking that hornets nest with a stick, you might not like what comes out of it.

Keep your head down and hope this blows over, writing to the HO is only going to raise the profile of something that was previously thought to be insignificant.

[bighit]

There wasn't a problem with SA air for 17 years - no one cared.
This whole thing started a couple of years ago when people started demanding clarification of the Home Office. And now we're in the uncertain position we're in today.

My advice is - stop poking that hornets nest with a stick, you might not like what comes out of it.

Keep your head down and hope this blows over, writing to the HO is only going to raise the profile of something that was previously thought to be insignificant.

its hardly insignificant to steyr uk though or people that have them at home at present who could then be up on section 5 firearm charges if the police want to get a conviction .

the fact one police force has confiscated them, is it better not to get the situation sorted once and for all?

I wonder how many brocock or any other TACs and BACs air pistols or air rifles is out there and the owners not knowing they are prohibited? the same can be said for people with the steyr pistols .


I for one would rather know I'm not a possible unlicensed fire arm owner.

the hornets nest has been poked already .

[Brian.Samson]

its hardly insignificant to steyr uk though or people that have them at home at present who could then be up on section 5 firearm charges if the police want to get a conviction .

the fact one police force has confiscated them, is it better not to get the situation sorted once and for all?

I wonder how many brocock or any other TACs and BACs air pistols or air rifles is out there and the owners not knowing they are prohibited? the same can be said for people with the steyr pistols .


I for one would rather know I'm not a possible unlicensed fire arm owner.

the hornets nest has been poked already .

Crack on then, keep poking
Good luck

[bighit]

Crack on then, keep poking
Good luck

I don't have one . so I don't need luck.

but I still rather know I'm on the right side of the law if I did have one.

do you have one? are your scared you might need to hand it in for destruction or to be deactivated?

I'm sure the OP would like to know what the official answer is also as would steyr UK.

[Brian.Samson]

I don't have one . so I don't need luck.

but I still rather know I'm on the right side of the law if I did have one.

do you have one? are your scared you might need to hand it in for destruction or to be deactivated?

I'm sure the OP would like to know what the official answer is also as would steyr UK.

This subject has been going on for a while now, I'll give you the abridged version of it.

In 1997 SA airguns weren't considered when they changed the law. By the time the law was passed the Home Office realised the mistake a wrote a circular which said it wasn't intentional to accidentally make SA airguns illegal, and they would address this at the earliest opportunity.

The HO and the CPS said they did not intend to prosecute anyone for having an SA airgun. Essentially, yes they are against the law, but the HO and CPS have said they don't intend to enforce that law because it was an oversight.

Everything was fine for 17 years - you could buy an SA airgun and use it, and no one batted an eyelid despite its less than certain legal status.

2 years ago the Steyr Hunter 5 semi-auto was released and people started to import them in from Europe as Steyr UK didn't stock them.

A few people asked Steyr UK to import them and Steyr UK sought clarification from the Gun Trade Association to make sure they were covered.

After a meeting between the HO and the GTA, the Home Office advised that the original guidance circular they issued in 1997 was meant to cover existing SA airguns, not to cover all future airguns. (I have a copy of that email somewhere)

And now we're in this situation where technically a SA airgun is still a Section 5 prohibited firearm, and because the issue has been pushed and pushed, the HO are in a position where it looks like they are considering reversing their guidance from 1997. If they do that, anyone with an SA airgun in their possession would be in deep do do.

I don't own an SA airgun, if I did I most certainly wouldn't be rocking any boats.

There's a bigger issue too, not just the SA issue, but more seriously the 'Capable' issue.

The 5 LP5's are not only being tested to see if they are classed as Self Loading, they are also being tested to determine if they are Capable of more than 6 fee. If it turns out that they are (because they don't have anti-tamper fitted) then that has very serious implications for all of us, not just those who own an SA airgun.

I'll be keeping my head down and hoping it all blows over.

[RichardH]

This subject has been going on for a while now, I'll give you the abridged version of it.

In 1997 SA airguns weren't considered when they changed the law. By the time the law was passed the Home Office realised the mistake a wrote a circular which said it wasn't intentional to accidentally make SA airguns illegal, and they would address this at the earliest opportunity.

The HO and the CPS said they did not intend to prosecute anyone for having an SA airgun. Essentially, yes they are against the law, but the HO and CPS have said they don't intend to enforce that law because it was an oversight.

Everything was fine for 17 years - you could buy an SA airgun and use it, and no one batted an eyelid despite its less than certain legal status.

2 years ago the Steyr Hunter 5 semi-auto was released and people started to import them in from Europe as Steyr UK didn't stock them.

A few people asked Steyr UK to import them and Steyr UK sought clarification from the Gun Trade Association to make sure they were covered.

After a meeting between the HO and the GTA, the Home Office advised that the original guidance circular they issued in 1997 was meant to cover existing SA airguns, not to cover all future airguns. (I have a copy of that email somewhere)

And now we're in this situation where technically a SA airgun is still a Section 5 prohibited firearm, and because the issue has been pushed and pushed, the HO are in a position where it looks like they are considering reversing their guidance from 1997. If they do that, anyone with an SA airgun in their possession would be in deep do do.

I don't own an SA airgun, if I did I most certainly wouldn't be rocking any boats.

There's a bigger issue too, not just the SA issue, but more seriously the 'Capable' issue.

The 5 LP5's are not only being tested to see if they are classed as Self Loading, they are also being tested to determine if they are Capable of more than 6 fee. If it turns out that they are (because they don't have anti-tamper fitted) then that has very serious implications for all of us, not just those who own an SA airgun.

I'll be keeping my head down and hoping it all blows over.

All precharged guns are capable always have been.

Thats what terrifies the industry.

[Brian.Samson]

All precharged guns are capable always have been.

Thats what terrifies the industry.

And that'll be another thing I won't be writing to the HO about

[gingernut]

Whilst accepting that the Hunting 5 was used to stir up the wasps nest I don't understand why the venom was directed at the little LP 5 pistol
It had been around for many years not causing any harm.

Mind you these days it might well be that the wrong gun was seized as it had 5 in the title.

[Brian.Samson]

Whilst accepting that the Hunting 5 was used to stir up the wasps nest I don't understand why the venom was directed at the little LP 5 pistol
It had been around for many years not causing any harm.

Mind you these days it might well be that the wrong gun was seized as it had 5 in the title.

My theory is.. remembering the long threads on the subject, that Steyr UK sought clarification on the Hunting 5 and were advised not to import them, then the people responsible for kicking the hornets nest in the first place protested to the powers that be that if the Steyr Hunting 5 was Section 5, so was the LP50 and Steyr UK had no problem importing those.

A bit more letter writing and kicking of nests and voila - now the powers that be are also looking into LP50's.

Moral of that story - when seeking clarification on a subject, it might not always go the way you want it to and sometimes it's better to leave well alone.

[Jerry Cornelius]

This subject has been going on for a while now, I'll give you the abridged version of it.

In 1997 SA airguns weren't considered when they changed the law. By the time the law was passed the Home Office realised the mistake a wrote a circular which said it wasn't intentional to accidentally make SA airguns illegal, and they would address this at the earliest opportunity.

The HO and the CPS said they did not intend to prosecute anyone for having an SA airgun. Essentially, yes they are against the law, but the HO and CPS have said they don't intend to enforce that law because it was an oversight.

Everything was fine for 17 years - you could buy an SA airgun and use it, and no one batted an eyelid despite its less than certain legal status.

2 years ago the Steyr Hunter 5 semi-auto was released and people started to import them in from Europe as Steyr UK didn't stock them.

A few people asked Steyr UK to import them and Steyr UK sought clarification from the Gun Trade Association to make sure they were covered.

After a meeting between the HO and the GTA, the Home Office advised that the original guidance circular they issued in 1997 was meant to cover existing SA airguns, not to cover all future airguns. (I have a copy of that email somewhere)

And now we're in this situation where technically a SA airgun is still a Section 5 prohibited firearm, and because the issue has been pushed and pushed, the HO are in a position where it looks like they are considering reversing their guidance from 1997. If they do that, anyone with an SA airgun in their possession would be in deep do do.

I don't own an SA airgun, if I did I most certainly wouldn't be rocking any boats.

.

Exactly this. Don't ask questions if you might not like the answer.

I confidently predict the next thing will be people saying well what is the difference between an LP50 and, say an umarex, both fire pellets each time you pull the trigger, and they will ask and ask until the HO says, hmm, you are right, lets look at those too...

Anyway now the issue is well and truly under scrutiny so I guess all those people asking the question over the years will find out soon.

[eyebull]

All precharged guns are capable always have been.

Thats what terrifies the industry.

And, if we're being honest, most springers too.

[angrybear]

Air weapons are exempt from conditions imposed on firearms, but have their own 'airgun' conditions....just because these confitions are explained in firearms law doesn't make them a firearm. No gunsafe, no license....no conditions other than those relating to airguns.

You get caught acting the tit you face firearms law, but that could apply to a can of cs gas.....which I'm sure nobody would argue is either a firearm rifle, pistol or shotgun.

Air Weapons in the UK ARE firearms purely & simply because UK law says that they are.

Any "lethal" barrelled device is a Firearm in the UK under UK law, lethal being defined as propelling a projectile or shot with a force above 1 joule except for airsoft weapons (which have a specific legal definition) & which may be 2.5joules if single shot or 1.3joules if they fire 2 or more projectiles from a single pull of the trigger.

your examples above no gun-safe & no licence are simply exemptions granted to air weapons classed as "not especially dangerous" being less 12ftlb rifle, or less than 6ftlb pistol.

It does not exempt them from being firearms, it merely sub classifies them as "not especially dangerous" (air) firearms.

[angrybear]

There wasn't a problem with SA air for 17 years - no one cared.

Yep, just like there wasn't a problem with TNT delivering ammunition until they were bought out & the new parent company said "that's illegal, stop doing it"

but I digress.