Why airsoft is licensed in the UK

[Patchy]

This video shows why airsoft is licensed in the UK and why under 18s cannot own guns unless police have granted them exempt from the law (like me :P)

http://www.staywise.co.uk/VideoClips/WorldsCollide.swf

the first like 2 mins are rubbish but then it really sums up what happened last year.

This is a r enactment on what happened on the 6th of October last year, when airsoft changed in the UK forever.

I posted this just in case any of you use airsoft guns in public since I know my friends used to.

[iJack]

Well, the police had every right to shoot. Those idiots had it coming for them. I feel no sympathy for the one who died, the others yes. But wow, what a force the sent over. Here it would be one or two police cars, and two police officers, not a k-9 unit, or a helicopter. And what about undercover police cars there? Those things can be seen from a mile away there. Wow.

[Underground_Network]

Wow. That's all I have to say. You'd have to pretty stupid (and/or pretty wasted) to point a gun, be it fake or real, at a cop.

[george]

Wow, I can see why the banned them in the UK for under 18s but they could have just done what the US did and have them all with a orange tip, simple as that.

But I am wondering why the sent a helicopter, a K-9 unit, 2 cops with MP-5s (as far as I could see) and like 3 police cars? o.O I mean its 2 people with 1 gun, here it would have been like 1 cop car, maybe 2.

[Oblivion]

I feel bad for the mom :(
I have little sympathy for the kid, except he should have just been wounded
But the police did nothing wrong, I would have done the same thing, if i thought someone was pointing a gun at me.

But in the US all BB/Airsoft guns have bright orange tips so police know they are fake...

[Patchy]

Well tbh they were unaware on how serious the situation was.

The description from the old man was pretty vague seeming as not many people in the UK have a high gun knowledge.

I completely agree that the police men shot him since he did try to point it at the police officer.

Airsoft was actually banned in the UK which would put about 60 businesses and god knows how many skirmish sites out of business, so the airsoft retailers came together and made this system to keep airsoft guns from getting into the wrong hands, owning a airsoft gun is the same as owning a shotgun, you need to get checked out the police get a license number etc.

This sounds ridiculous however the public in UK are not used to guns since the massacre in Scotland in the 80's/90's (a man walked into a school with a glock and killed 34 children) so since then guns are kept very controlled to stop fear.

EDIT: Shattered, if they injured him he could still pull the trigger either injuring a officer or the other boy, also the reason why orange tips wouldnt work is because anyone could paint a real gun with a orange tip, you can buy airsoft weapons over here however they are clear so police can see the mecha inside to see if its real or fake.