[Brian McIlmoyle]

All the talk about PAL and classifying Airsoft guns under a PAL , although not wrongheaded is fruitless.

If we look over the past year and trace events.. the change in enforcment was set up and executed according to what appears to be a planned "assault" on Replicas.

It started with tightening of import rules.. we saw some seizures of restricted item shipments to licensed importers..

Then the KANG appeal came up in late spring where several airsoft guns were defined as replicas.

Then we saw a unlicensed re-seller charged in Quebec..

And then the collapse of the western Canada dealer network

and now the charging of a unlicensed importer and retailer..Here in Ontario

In every case the issue was not ownership of replicas.. the issue is the import and retail of replicas to individuals.
This is the target of enforcement in my opinion.

According to the law there is no legal way for a licensed importer to retail replicas to individuals.. ( the same as there is no legal way for individuals to sell replicas to other individuals )

The Airsoft community has danced around the " are they or aren't they" ( replicas) for years... it seems clear that when the police lay charges .. that point gains some clarity. It remains to be seen if the charges stick or ever make it to court...

Which brings me to Licensing.... in order to get "airsoft" under a PAL there would need to be a substantial overhaul of the Criminal Code with respect to firearms...resulting in a substantial relaxing of certain main items of the code..
or at the very least substantal re writing of the code to integrate replicas.. I can't see the government seeing any benefit to society to do so...

Although I have been an opponent to the "underground" airsoft community.. it seems clear that in the face of action against the sources of replicas.. we as a community will be driven underground..at least when it comes to sourcing our tools.