What says the law about Airsoft in Canada?

[goldenhawk 91]

Hello,
I come from Germany and in summer I will go to Canada for a half year as an exchange student. I will live in North-Vancouver and want to play airsoft there.
So my question is:
-Are there speciel rules for airsoft weapons?
-How I must be to play airsoft in Canada?
-Is airsoft populate in Canada? Or don't the people know or like airsoft?

P.S.: I also search a team in Vancouver and internet-shops for guns

Thx for your help.

[gamz]

FAQ section

[seekah]

Vancouver area probaly has 5 areas to play within a 2 hour drive, 3 of them localy.

We love airsoft, but our laws dont.

[kalnaren]

Generally, you have to be 18 to play in Canada. Hopefully while you're here you can borrow a gun from someone as they're expensive as hell here. Also, you might want to check the terms of your exchange to make sure nobody is going to flip out and send you back to Germany if you play. And as posted, check out the FAQ section of this forum and make sure you understand the very delicate state of airsoft in Canada before you play.

[Greylocks]

For your sake, dont bring your guns with you to Canada. That will really shorten your stay in this country.

[KaOz]

Originally Posted by goldenhawk 91

Hello,
I come from Germany and in summer I will go to Canada for a half year as an exchange student. I will live in North-Vancouver and want to play airsoft there.
So my question is:
-Are there speciel rules for airsoft weapons?
-How I must be to play airsoft in Canada?
-Is airsoft populate in Canada? Or don't the people know or like airsoft?

P.S.: I also search a team in Vancouver and internet-shops for guns

Thx for your help.

Hello and welcome to the forum/community,

You definately did the first thing right in contacting us... that way we can provide with the necessary information for being age verified, playing games, renting (if need be), etc.

Recently there has been some legal issues between police/vendors and hopefully this is resolved by the time you arrive.

On another note, welcome to Canada!

Cheers,
KaOz.

[goldenhawk 91]

Originally Posted by kalnaren

Generally, you have to be 18 to play in Canada.

Oh no!!

In Germany there are two groups of Airsoftguns.
The first one are <0,5 joule guns and you can buy them at the age of 14.
<0,5j full-automatic guns are allowed.
The second group are >0,5j guns. Full-automatic is forbidden. You can buy these guns at the age of 18.

When I come to Canada I'm 16 years old. Are there special rules which allowed playing AS at the age of 16?
Another problem is to persuade my hostfamily.

[wey ferro]

most places let you play if you are 16 and your parents sign.

[goldenhawk 91]

Ah ok!
Perhaps someone who is in a Vancouver-Team can lend me one of his guns.
And if there are fields, which allows playing by 16 years, I ust only persuade my hostfamily.

[KaOz]

Goldenhawk91,

I don't want to shower you with dos and donts, but keep in mind that in Canada and in ASC (this forum) we are strict with the age limit and verification. It is not only for your safety, but for others as well - along with the longevity of the sport.

If your host family (guardians) wish for you to play, they will most likely need to sign a consent form. Having been a host family before to many from Japan and Korea, do note that it is up to their judgement and as such, their responsibility.

I suggest first being a spectator at a game and meeting the people local to you before anything else - you never know, maybe the game here is played differently and not up to your standards or style.

Cheers,
KaOz.

[kalnaren]

If you've been keeping track of recent events on this forum, you'll no doubt have noticed that Airsoft in Canada is in a very delicate state right now. Allow me to explain a little:

Canada has very strict gun laws. It is illegal for a Canadian citizen to own a replica gun. While by the word of the law airsoft guns are not replicas, our law enforcement community treats them like they are. This makes it very, very difficult to get airsoft guns in Canada. Our best retailer has just stopped importing them because of issues with the CBSA (Canada Border Security Agency, aka Canada Customs). At the moment, we only have 3 retailers that sell airsoft guns in the entire country. The licenses they need to import these guns are very expensive, and this in turn makes the guns very, very expensive. My Classica Army G36 cost the equivalent of 858 DEM (680 CAD).

This raises the question of you borowing a gun. While this is possible, you now have the problem that you're only 16. Because of the above mentioned legal problems in Canada, the airsoft community has adopted a universal "18 to own and play" rule. Having said that, at 16 you may be allowed to play, if two things happen:

1) Your host family signs a waiver and takes full legal responsibility for you playing, and
2) Comes out with you to every game you play.

Both of the above are highly unlikely if your host family has never heard of airsoft. Most of the citizens in Canada have a very negative view of guns, even fake ones.

Finally, the other thing you need to take into consideration is the conditions of your exchange. I assume you're doing this through Rotary International? I'm pretty sure they have rules that would prevent you from doing anything like this. And considering your host family would probably need to sign a waiver, I can guarantee they'd hear about it.

It might be smarter and easier for you to forgo playing while you're in Canada. It's only a year after all. I'm sure all out in BC would love to have you at their games, but all things considered it doesn't look like it would be easy to do by any means.

[krazie Sj]

Hopefully his host family aren't Quebecers. Little German kid coming to stay, and asking to play with guns.

"He's trying to take over the house!"

[Skruface]

Originally Posted by krazie Sj

Hopefully his host family aren't Quebecers. Little German kid coming to stay, and asking to play with guns.

"He's trying to take over the house!"

Well, he did say in his initial post he will be living in North Vancouver....