Cansoft/clearsoft being stopped at the border? any reports?
 

I was at a surplus that sells G&G clear AEG in Montreal yesterday. They only had 2 left and the guy said that customs were kind of cracking down on shipments of cansoft. They had a hard time getting new ones and that a big container got stopped a short while ago.

Now this maybe classic surplus store rumors but has anyone heard anything similar from elsewhere in the country?

Quebec's CFO has always been firmly anti-airsoft, and unlike the rest of Canada even clearsoft has been frowned upon ("You can paint the receiver"). If this guy was trying to import his own it's hardly surprising it got stopped.

As with most things, what happens in Quebec shouldn't be used as a reference for the rest of the country.

That's why I was asking if anybody else in Canada heard the same reports for other provinces. :)

seems that different provinces have different attitudes towards airsoft?

More like they're apathetic, Quebec's got a real hard on for anything even remotely firearms related. Only province in Canada that requires you to wait 2 to 6 MONTHS in order to get an AR15

to be fair.... An AR15 isnt exactly what I'd call a hunting fire arm, hahaha. Just bustin' yer chops :cool:

This rumor has been verified.. Not at liberty to state the importer, but there might be a little more to it. We'll know soon enough if Ontario has caught the anti-airsoft bug as well. Product is scheduled to arrive very soon. I'll let you know.

not all firearms are used for hunting so whats your point?

Point being, that from a civil perspective, I can understand a longer wait time for a firearm that for all intent is variant of an M16 vs. a Remington 16 gauge shot-gun used for fowl.

Although 6 months IS a bit much (and smacks of laziness more than security....but I digress), a wait time to do a thorough back ground check isn't totally unreasonable.

In the end, I was just bust yer balls, not being serious...

You can only purchase an AR15 if you have a PAL-R the thorough back ground check is already done.

Wait times serve only as a deterent to purchase.. Each provincial CFO can pretty much set the conditions ( within the regulations ) as to how they will enforce the rules.

Some I suspect are under the thumb of provincial legislators and police influence ( it's all tied together..informally) and take the position that in their region administrative delays and hoop jumping will add an additional deterent to legal gun ownership.


Back on topic... is it looking like the "clear receiver" gambit is going to fail?

I can see why .... everyone and his brother is jumping into the retail of these things... I suspect the serious uptick in importation has some flags raised.

I'm not surprised ....

It would be unfortunate because of all the trouble suppliers and dealers have gone to to comply with the import regulations to support Canadian airsoft players.

As you say, I think the key to all this is the "informal" contacts within CBSA and law enforcement looking at this and saying 'uh oh, we didn't kill it with the CBSA crackdown, time to go to plan C' which is essentially either harrassment in the form of delays, or an attempt to reinterpret the import regulations to include clear/cansoft within their definition of a non-importable item.

Lets face it, you can put a pig in a dress, but, its still a pig. I didn't think this was going to be an entirely free ride.

That's a conspiracy theory.

Transparent lower was always problematic to an extent. I suppose the upside is that if transparent lower is considered unacceptable, then it's not a stretch to argue that the transparent 1:1 scale LPEG/crapsoft at WalMart and CT ain't acceptable either.

What is it with everyone accusing me of conspiracy theories this morning?? (grin) Sorry but I travel in those circles (law enforcement, public safety, etc) and those informal networks exist, they are small communities and they talk to one another. Its not a conspiracy, its fact.

Buy yes, it would be easy for them to decide to adjust their interpretation, the way the law works it gives them a wide range of discretion in the matter.

I'm not saying those informal networks don't exist. I'm just saying that CBSA as an organization isn't conspiring with the RCMP against airsoft.

We have a tendency to have tunnel vision .. "toy" guns and pellet guns and bb guns and airsoft guns ... anything gun like that is not a gun is of concern to CBSA and the RCMP

I don't think this is about airsoft.. or "Cansoft" in particular... I do think its about a perception within the CBSA that there is an uptick in the importation of gun like non guns.. that may be concerning them...

increased scrutiny of packages and shipments with the resulting administrative delays are an enforcement tool.