Everything Airsoft

WE TTI M16A1 and M16A2 GBB Prototype Spy Shots

cqrt — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:49:18 +0000

Straight from WE Labs via Arms-Cool is what appears to be some new prototype pictures of a WE TTI Vietnam era M16A1 and a M16A2 gas blowback rifle. I’ve no doubt as to their authenticity as the trademark WE brass chamber is present in some shots which sadly also leads me to believe that a rumoured WA style full cycle type GBB system is not on the cards for these models.

Design of the M16’s seems to be fairly accurate with it’s U.S.G.I A1 style grip on the M16A1 but hopefully some of the smaller details will also be replicated such as the M16A1 teardrop type forward assist and non-tapered Delta Ring. A replica 20rd magazine looks like it will be available which will please the Vietnam era purist/enthusiasts. Anyway on with the pics.

Gun Owners of America (GOA) wants answers, files FOIA and weighs in on Tacoma Toy Seizure

cqrt — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:17:11 +0000

Via Bob Unruh of World Net Daily, John Velleco, Director of Federal Affairs for Gun Owners of America, a grass-roots gun lobbying organization with over 300,000 members nationwide is none to pleased with the ATF over the ludicrous seizure of the airsoft guns at Port of Tacoma and on behalf of Gun Owners of America, has filed a FOIA request with the Federal Agency to get some answers…

Written by John Velleco
Gun Owners of America

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), apparently unable to distinguish between real guns and replicas, seized a shipment of 30 toy guns in a February bust at the Port of Tacoma in Washington.

Airsoft guns, which fire little plastic balls, are used by a growing number of loyal enthusiasts (think paintball, only not as messy). In addition, thanks to their realistic look, weight, and feel, these guns are often used for training purposes by National Guard units and law enforcement.

It was this realism that led CBP agents to seize the shipment—which was destined for Airsoft Outlet Northwest in Cornelius, Oregon—and to call in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) for a closer look.

The BATFE was at least knowledgeable enough to discern that the guns in question were, in fact, not real guns. The case should have ended right then and there. After all, the agency has authority only with respect to the importation of real guns. Toy guns fall no more under BATFE jurisdiction than teddy bears.

However, a little technicality like lack of jurisdiction was not enough to keep BATFE off the case.

“In its present state, our firearms technology branch classified this as a machine gun,” said BATFE special agent Kelvin Crenshaw.

But wait a minute. Didn’t the BATFE previously admit that these are not real guns?

Yes, but “With minimal work it could be converted to a machine gun,” Crenshaw said.

Astonished, the owners of the store, Brad Martin and his son, Ben, inquired with the agents as to exactly how “minimal” the work would be to “convert” these toys into real machine guns.

The Martins were given the government version of “talk to the hand.” File a Freedom of Information Act request, they were told.

The Martins have done just that, as has Gun Owners of America. There must be accountability with this agency because if the Bureau can unilaterally decide to get into the business of regulating toys, its mission has grown dramatically without any congressional input or oversight.

Of course, that would not come as a big surprise to many gun dealers who interact with the BATFE on a regular basis. The agency has become an arrogant and out-of-control bureaucracy with a history of trampling on people’s gun rights.

Even more troubling is that this agency’s mission—at least as it relates to firearms—falls completely outside the framework of constitutional authority given to the federal government.

As the Supreme Court reaffirmed in the 2008 Heller decision, Americans have an individual right to keep and bear arms. But if firearms transactions have to be approved by the Washington bureaucrats, what was once a “right” has morphed into a “privilege.”

And now they are opening the door to regulating toy guns, even though it would be extremely risky, expensive and, well, dumb, to attempt to convert an Airsoft into an actual machinegun.

In fact, GOA and the Martins separately consulted with several gunsmiths who debunked the notion that the seized Airsoft guns could be converted with “minimal work.”

To make the transformation, the entirety of the upper receiver would have to be replaced, but the lower receiver would still be unable to endure the intense force of live ammunition because it is made of pot metal (inexpensive alloys) instead of hard steel. And all of this work would actually cost more than buying a real—and stable—AR-15 rifle.

BATFE also tried to justify the seizure because the toys lacked the blaze orange tips now required on all imported toy guns. This again raises the question of jurisdiction and the BATFE regulating toy guns.

The Martins noted that previous shipments from Taiwan lacked the orange paint, but that they were allowed to simply go to Tacoma and paint the ends of the barrels themselves.

Not this time, though. The toy guns, valued at over $10,000, remain in the hands of the BATFE and are slated to be destroyed.

Brad and Ben Martin were robbed just as surely as if they had been mugged walking down the street. Only in this instance, the thugs operated under the color of law by an agency whose very existence is questionable.

[Editor Note: Gun Owners of America is a 300,000 member strong lobby group formed in 1975 by an ex NRA member and have boasted many victories in US Congress over the years on behalf of American gun owners so I'm hoping they run with this.]

The Tacoma Airsoft Seizure Update: The Great Federal Airsoft Theft

cqrt — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:32:12 +0000

In this third article covering the seizure of Airsoft Outlet Northwest’s (AONW) shipment of WE TTI gas blowback airsoft guns by Federal Agents, we look over the latest updates and bring to light some new information and also examine how it’s all beginning to unfold. Even with all the information not available, especially on the side of BATFE, a pretty clear picture is starting to emerge that has led me to believe that this wasn’t a seizure… It was theft.

Lets start with the initial discovery by Customs and Border Protection. I don’t want to delve too deep into this as I believe it’s not the real reason for the seizure, but for many years now, the U.S. Customs has led everybody to believe that imports of Airsoft guns requires a Blaze Orange plug or tip to be present on the end of the barrel.

It may come as a shock to U.S. Airsofters but this is incorrect.

Airsoft Guns are NOT required to have a bright orange mark on the end of the barrel!!

What!! Hey, I’m just repeating what Customs defines in their frequently asked questions.

I quote from CBP’s page regarding airsoft imports:

Air soft, paintball, bb guns, and other guns that use a gas or air pellet or mechanical spring action to fire a projectile are not subject to Department of Commerce regulations for toy or imitation firearms that require bright orange plugs or other markers to be affixed to the end of the barrel (15 CFR 1150).

It doesn’t get any clearer than that, and I’m not suggesting you break the ‘rules’ but just realise that when it comes to Federal Agencies, it appears that they basically make the rules up as they go along and they’ll still seize your shipment regardless of what U.S. Statutes exist.

I listened to an interview by Alex Jones from infowars.com where he discusses in detail with Brad Martin of AONW some of the finer points of the seizure. While it’s pretty clear Alex Jones is a huge liberalist and Second Amendment rights campaigner, he makes some good points. Listen below, it’s about 30mins.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

While BATFE were patting themselves on the back early on in the media frenzy, it was kind of unclear why they had seized the shipment, was it the blaze orange tips? Was it to save the children? No.

The Dori Monson Show interviewed both Brad Martin of AONW and Cheryl Bishop of the BATFE and gave each party time to state their case and during the BATFE part of the interview, it finally was revealed what part of US Law was the subject of the seizure.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

BATFE Labs in Martinsburg, West Virginia has classified the lower receiver of the WE TTI as a ‘machine gun’ as defined under Title 26, Section 2845 b of the U.S. Code.

(b) Machinegun

The term “machinegun” means any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun, and any combination of parts from which a machinegun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person.

The important part of the above text is this "The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun"

‘Designed and intended solely and exclusively … for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun’

The receiver of a WE TTI Gas Blowback was designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in an airsoft product.

So whether the receiver can accept an AR-15 trigger group, which it can’t without extensive modification, is irrelevant. The WE receiver was produced from the ground up to be fitted into an airsoft rifle, so Title 26, Section 2845 b of the U.S. Code does not cover the BAFTE’s case.

So, in other words, BATFE can not stand behind this U.S. Statute, it doesn’t even apply. Not only did BATFE have absolutely no right or authority to seize the shipment of airsoft guns, the matter should have been referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for investigation. BAFTE = No Jurisdiction.

You can’t help but notice over the last few days, ATF has been less vocal and appears unwilling to go on record with their claims. The opinions of tens of thousands of people all over the internet from Airsoft forums to Real Steel forums has been overwhelmingly in favour of Airsoft Outlet Northwest, and I’m willing to bet that, that is weighing down on the authorities.

The ‘good catch’ rhetoric has disappeared, the back slapping has petered off and it would appear the voices of thousands from all over the internet is being heard.

KOIN6 TV had such a really good response to their first piece about the Tacoma seizure, that they have now updated their article where KOIN6 TV reporter Alexis Del Cid starts asking the BAFTE the hard questions. This video is where BAFTE appears to start to close ranks, refusing to answer questions and the most revealing of all, almost, kind of reveals their true intentions.

KOIN6: Does the ATF believe these toys can be converted into deadly weapons that fire real ammunition?

BAFTE: Refuses to answer the question and keeps referring to the definition of a machine gun, something than can fire multiple rounds.

KOIN6: Does firing multiple rounds of plastic pellets fall into that category?

BAFTE: ATF still refuses to answer.

Now this is important, because it reveals the true intentions of the BAFTE, and this may reveal a bigger agenda.

BAFTE: This is more of a public awareness issue and that the real danger is how realistic these toys look.

So you stole the guns to raise a public awareness issue, Roger that! You’ve just declared war on Airsoft…

If you want to lodge a protest or complaint, use the following contact points.

Office of the Inspector General
U.S. Department of Justice
Investigations Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Room 4706
Washington, DC 20530

E-mail: oig.hotline@usdoj.gov

Online: Reporting Form

Hotline: (contact information in English and Spanish): (800) 869-4499

Fax: (202) 616-9881

Also, the public affairs agents who are responsible for the press release:

john.d.mcbride@dhs.gov
Customs Public Affairs Liaison, Portland-Tacoma
cheryl.d.bishop@usdoj.gov
Special Agent, Public Affairs Officer
BATF Seattle Field Division
206-389-5859

The WE Prototype Smorgasbord: M14, Sten Gun, Browning HP, M16 VN and AK-74U + others

cqrt — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:45:34 +0000

My inbox is overflowing with alleged prototype pics of up and coming prototypes from WE. A little bit of investigation traced them back to the God Armed Blog. Take a stroll through the inner sanctums of WE Research and Development. These are presented in various stages of completeness, so expect to see partials and remember products shown may change in their final incantations. Enjoy.

WE Browning Hi-Power

Sten Gun

M14 GBB

AK-74U

M16A1 VN and M16A2

Grease Gun

What else can you spot on the WE wall of Wonderful? Maybe an L85, or a G36 maybe…

What’s missing from the blowback system on the KAC PDW below and M14 above, give you a clue, brass. Is WE testing a new full cycle gas blowback system?

Only time will tell what surfaces from WE Labs, only time will tell……

Airsoft Outlet Northwest gives the scoop on the Tacoma Seizure, an industry without a standard

cqrt — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:41:26 +0000

Update: Check at bottom of post for video of KOIN6’s interview with Airsoft Outlet NW’s owner.

Yesterday we broke the news about Airsoft Outlet’s involvement in the much publicized ’seizure’ of a shipment of WE TTI M4 Gas Blowbacks by US Customs and Border Protection agents in the Port of Tacoma. Owner of Airsoft Outlet Northwest, Benjamin Martin, has since been taking his side of the story to the media and just today released a complete statement concerning the seizure. We have spoken with Ben Martin and fully support him and his family over this issue. The importance of the message here affects the whole United States airsoft industry, so we have reproduced the article in full, it bears repeating.

Airsoft: An Industry Without Standard.

Written by: Benjamin Martin

I would be stating the obvious if I said that Airsoft is a competitive sport, it’s part of the game to out-manoeuvre, out-gun, and outperform your competition. From what I can tell, this competitive spirit doesn’t end at the field, it extends all the way up the distribution channel to the manufacturers and extends out horizontally to Airsoft forums and teams with their inter-community rivalries. This is what makes this industry and sport so fantastic to work and play in; it allows the natural competitive spirit that is in all of us to come out and get a breath of fresh air.

I began working for Airsoft Outlet Northwest in April of 2006 back when the store was nothing more than a small wall of AEG’s with a few spare parts. At the time Airsoft seemed to be an extremely niche market of players that more or less had been accustomed to dealing with online retailers. As the ad hoc manager I wasn’t quite sure what direction to take the store, and it seemed that the obvious answer was just to let it grow with the sport as a whole. As the word of mouth spread so did our sales and soon enough Airsoft Outlet Northwest was operating two retail storefronts.

With the absence of U.S. Airsoft manufacturers, we turned to purchasing product straight from overseas factories which allowed us to spread our margins while we dropped our prices, in turn we could offer competitive stateside retail prices to our customers. Nearly everyone that is involved in the sport has or will purchase Airsoft overseas; Hong Kong or Taiwanese prices are very lucrative when compared against U.S. retailers and distributors, the only thing to watch out for is the shipping.

If you’re just a regular player looking for that unique Western Arms M4 with COLT trademarks then you’ll probably purchase that gun overseas and hope it gets through customs without hindrance, and more often than not you’re going to get it through. If you’re a big name U.S. distributor or a large retailer and your order of several dozen AEG’s hits port, than more often than not you’re going to raise some eyebrows and likely face an intensive inspection, but this is just the nature of the beast. A single customer ordering one Airsoft replica with all kinds of infringed trademarks will easily slip through Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) fragmented system while dozens of trademark free AEG’s with permanent orange tips will sound more alarms than NORAD on 9/11.

Why is this?

Well the simplest explanation is that the odds are in favour of the consumers package not being inspected since it’s usually just one box; the average CBP agent doesn’t want to waste their time meddling in small orders when they could be looking for real terrorist threats.

Airsoft Outlet Northwest has learned the hard way about all the unpredictable rules that come along with importing Airsoft replicas. When we started importing AEG’s from G&P late 2006 we only knew of one obvious rule to importing, the replicas had to have blaze orange tips to indicate that they were in fact nothing more than toys. The more product we brought in the more we discovered that the rules were very malleable and arbitrary. We had one shipment from G&P come in and the inspecting CBP Agent held them because the AEG’s had trademark infringed bodies, but he allowed us to come in and deface the trademarks so that we could bring in the replicas legally. The agent was kind, understanding, and a former Marine who was genuinely interested in our product. We learned from our mistakes and ensured that all future overseas orders wouldn’t include trademark infringed AEG’s. Our faith in the importation process and working with CBP was solid, we figured as long as we imported replicas with orange tips and that were free of illegal trademarks then we wouldn’t have anything to worry about.

To our amazement we were dead wrong.

That CBP agent who was so willing to work with us disappeared and we began to have a different CBP agent in the Port of Portland forcefully remove orange tips and then consider the product illegal. I’m not entirely sure what caused these change of events, but I can only speculate that this replacement had some sort of negative opinion against firearms or the military because according to their predecessor we were doing everything right.

We decided that the Port of Portland wasn’t friendly to the industry so we began to take our business through the Port of Seattle, and the Port of Tacoma. We kept our noses clean and made sure that all orange flash hiders were glued on, if the flash hider was removed by a CBP agent then they would find that the barrel underneath would be painted orange as well, and every Airsoft replica was 100% clean of trademark infringements. For a short period importation ran smoothly.

Slowly over time the ports of Seattle and Tacoma began to take interest in what we were bringing in, which was primarily WE brand Airsoft gas pistols and Airsoft plastic bb’s. The pistols came completely clean of trademarks, maintained orange plugs glued into the barrel, and were nowhere near being readily convertible to fire a real round. Still, CBP agents across the board started intensively looking into everything we brought in, whether it was bb’s, cheap optics, or high end Airsoft replicas.

This continued to escalate until nearly four months ago when Airsoft Outlet Northwest brought in a batch of WE TTI Gas Blowback M4’s through the Port of Tacoma. We had previously brought these Gas Blowback M4’s through the Port of Seattle without incident and had been stocking them since WE TTI’s first generational release of the replica back in early 2009. We figured that since Tacoma is closer to our store, and that CBP in Seattle was allowing these in, that we’d be ok.

Again, we were dead wrong.

Although these WE M4 replicas were free of trademarks, the WE TTI factory in Taiwan completely failed to put orange tips onto the replicas. We didn’t know this until I called the inspecting agent in Tacoma to find out why our shipment had been delayed for two months. I didn’t get the inspecting agent in charge, but got his partner who was more than willing to talk and help me figure out what was going on. When the CBP agent told me they didn’t have orange tips I just about hung up in realization that these replicas were gone, but he said that he went to our website and saw that we only sold to 18 and over, or under 18 with parental consent. He then divulged that because this was our business policy that he would consider them "bb guns" which wouldn’t require an orange tip.

I thought to myself that we couldn’t have landed a more up front and honest CBP Agent in the country, and oddly enough he was a former military man as well.

But he also told me that he wasn’t used to Airsoft products and brought in the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) and the ATF (now BATFE). Apparently the CPSC gave them one look and then said they were O.K. to sell, but ATF wanted a closer look and whisked them away to an office in Maryland so they could "have them thoroughly examined".

Hold this thought…

At the same time all of this was happening, a second order of ours hit the Port of Seattle which was full of WE gas pistols, KJW M700’s, and WE TTI SCAR’s: all gas blowback replicas. Without hesitation the inspecting agent held this shipment indefinitely without cause or reason. When I called this CBP Agent in Seattle to inquire what the problem was he more or less gave me the cold shoulder and wouldn’t (or couldn’t) give me any reason as to why he was holding our product. I had stated that it was my right to know what laws Airsoft Outlet Northwest had broken and he more or less told me:

"What rights?"

After this conversation my faith in Customs and Border Protection completely fell apart. I realized that we (Airsoft Outlet NW) were dealing with bigoted individuals whose personal agendas were more important than holding the Airsoft industry to any sort of standard.

I now assume that this agent in Seattle, like many oblivious officials do, based his judgments purely on hearsay and without any circumstantial evidence seized our product for his own self gratification and/or self promotion. He has yet to provide any sort of proof that he, or anyone else, has been able to convert any of the WE gas pistols, KJW M700’s, or WE TTI SCAR’s to shoot live ammo. I would even go as far as to call him a liar if he said he did test them because of the fact that the civilian or military version of the SCAR is still extremely limited in number, and I doubt this CBP Agent would be able to get one to potentially destroy. The simple fact of the matter is that these three Airsoft replicas are nowhere close to having the ability to shoot live ammunition. The inspecting agent is basing his judgments on speculation and not fact, he cannot provide any evidence to support his argument, and refuses to open any lines of communication about our product being illegal.

Now, Back in Tacoma there has been a recent press release by Port Director Rolando Suliveras, Jr that essentially states the CBP Agents in the Port of Tacoma made a "good interception" because "these rifles could have had far-reaching and potentially devastating ramifications if they had gotten into the hands of individuals who wanted to do harm in the American population".

Sure Airsoft replicas look and feel like a firearm, the realism is what makes Airsoft so much fun, but we all know that they are nothing more than toys used by hobbyists for gaming and by Law Enforcement for training. But an Airsoft replica to the ignorant individual, who is supposedly the first line of defense on what’s right and wrong, may interpret Airsoft as some sort of malicious tool out to destroy society. If these Airsoft replicas have such potentially "devastating ramifications" then why are they so readily available for purchase from multiple Airsoft vendors across America? If these are so dangerous and illegal then why isn’t the ATF seizing them nation wide? did the Port of Tacoma jump to conclusions on the matter and is now needing the ATF to cover their mistakes? It’s evident that the realism of Airsoft is too overwhelming for these simple minds whose only goal is to make themselves look good in lieu of facing massive problems with immigration and real threats posed to the American public.

In proper CBP fashion Suliveras has also failed to provide any sort of evidence to prove his point that these Airsoft replicas could be converted to shoot a real round. According to this article on the CBP website Suliveras and his boys found that:

"[replacing the] internal components with original machinegun components could be accomplished within a short period of time, thus rendering the rifles capable of firing live ammunition."

This statement that these replicas could shoot live ammo with a few internal changes alone is absolutely ludicrous! I doubt these CBP agents, let alone ATF agents, bothered to notice that these Airsoft replicas lack feed ramps to load real ammunition; so it would be physically impossible if someone wanted to use the WE TTI M4 as a whole unit to shoot live ammo. I’m not a machinist, but I can assume that it takes a little longer than "a short period of time" to mill a precise feed ramp for an aluminum barrel that doubtingly could withstand the 62,366 psi that a 5.56mm NATO round can put off. As a side note, the average velocity of a 5.56mm NATO round is 940 meters/sec, the average velocity of one of these Airsoft replicas is 137 meters/sec. To me that doesn’t sound like the Airsoft M4 could handle firing any sort of real ammunition.

Now we at Airsoft Outlet Northwest, being the rational individuals we are, went out and had a gunsmith check the true compatibility of these replicas and found the following information:

The WE TTI M4’s lack any sort of functional gas tube which is integral to an AR15’s operation
The upper receiver of an AR15 fits onto the lower of the WE TTI M4
The stock trigger pack in the WE TTI cannot strike the firing pin of a AR15 bolt
The body of the WE TTI lower is several mils thinner than an AR15 lower, and shims would be needed for any AR trigger pack to work
The trigger pack of an AR15 appears to be able to fit onto the lower receiver of a WE TTI M4, one of the AR15 trigger pack retaining pins is impossible to insert without major modification, and the hammer isn’t operable with the WE TTI lower.

So essentially these Airsoft replicas cannot even operate an AR15 trigger pack without heavy modification with a precise tooling system operated by someone who knows the specific measurements to drill and tap the WE TTI lower receiver.

To me this doesn’t sound like it’s feasible within "a short period of time".

All of these compounded issues have made it clear that Customs and Border Protection lacks any consistency, cohesiveness, or competent Agents. One can do a simple Google search for these WE TTI M4 Gas Blowback Airsoft Replicas and find that there are retailers across the country carrying them, some of them with infringed trademarks! I don’t even want to state how many U.S. retailers are carrying the WE TTI SCAR since there is a massive distributor selling them out of California. As for the WE gas pistols and KJW M700’s, well, those aren’t even close to being illegal but according to our friendly CBP Agent in Seattle, Agent Bianchi, we don’t have any rights to even find out how to import these Airsoft replicas.

These Agents that are assigned to protect America have gone out of their way to make Airsoft Outlet Northwest look like a faceless entity with dark ulterior motives behind a guise of a friendly retail establishment. Internet rumors are now running rampant because of this, and susceptible citizens are speculating that these "machine guns" were destined to Mexico, Canada, or some sort of sleeper terrorist cell in the States. The fact of the matter is that Airsoft Outlet Northwest is a true "mom and pop" store that is owned and operated by a husband, wife, their son, and a handful of faithful employees who all believe in the American way of life. Before this incident we had sold numerous WE TTI M4 Airsoft replicas to Law Enforcement agents and Military men who use them for training; we have also sold these replicas to the local Oregon based manufacturer Crimson Trace who demonstrate their product with Airsoft.

If anything CBP is destroying local economy with their ignorance.

It’s obvious to me there there is a massive polarity how Customs and Border Protection handles importation. The first agent I had talked to in Tacoma decided that the WE TTI M4’s weren’t even Airsoft, but instead were bb guns since they didn’t have orange tips. CBP Agents in California allow the WE TTI SCAR to come through their ports en masse while one biased Agent in Seattle can stop a shipment based on inconclusive evidence. Talking to the Echo1 distributor in California I found out that they are allowed a grace period to come in and rectify any problems with their shipments before they’re seized; I wish Airsoft Outlet NW had that luxury here in Oregon and Washington.

All of this has made me wonder if there is any sort of standard at all, or are legal judgments with Airsoft left up to the arbitrary decision of the agent that inspects a shipment? Oddly enough the only CBP agents that have been forthcoming with our supposed rights, and have let us rectify any problems, have been former military men. As for the other agents that have, for lack of a better word, stolen our product, none of them have divulged any sort of information to help us let alone open any lines of communication to come to a common ground.

As an importer of replica guns, we should be allowed to know what is illegal to import without facing bigoted scrutiny. If we, or the factory, makes any sort of mistake that CBP doesn’t like, then we should be allowed to rectify the situation and come to a mutual agreement with the inspecting Agent. Customs and Border Protection’s lack of any sort of national cohesiveness is alarming to see first hand, and their complete ineptitude of how firearms operate is absurd. We should be able to prove our case without oppression or denial.

Customs and Border Protection seems to be on a witch hunt, and we’re at the stake.

U.S. Customs seizes shipment of WE M4 GBBR’s allegedly bound for Airsoft Outlet NorthWest

cqrt — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:02:03 +0000

Hitting the airsoft world today is a story picked up by Seattle’s King5.com and Tacoma’s The News Tribune about a shipment of 30 WE M4 Gas Blowback airsoft rifles being detected and seized by US Customs and Border Protection.

Customs officials at the Port of Tacoma seized a shipment of 30 pellet guns that officials say could have been modified into machine guns.

An investigation is under way after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered the Airsoft guns Feb. 8 in a suspicious-looking container. The shipment, labeled “Toys and Parts,” was worth about $10,000 and arrived at the port in October from a manufacturer in Taiwan, Customs and Border Protection spokesman Doug McBride said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that the rifles were equipped to shoot plastic balls but could be converted into machine guns firing live ammunition.

Ok, I didn’t want going to start on the obvious FUD being reported on here, and I can’t completely blame the news organisations for this, as they report on what they have been told and are not the experts unlike the BAFTE and CBP, but the implication that these seized airsoft rifles can be converted into firing live ammunition just astounds me.

I would be first in line (behind a bulletproof screen) to witness the carnage that would ensue from somebody attempting to detonate a .223 round in the alloy upper receiver of an M4 GBB, as unlikely as it would be with the absence of a firing pin and all the other essential parts of an AR-15 bolt to detonate a live round. The ludicrousness dissuades me from wanting to even touch on the other issues such as the barrel, the BCG and the dimensions of the WE receiver being incompatible with real steel tooling.

BATFE and CBP have experts in weaponry, and I have absolutely no doubt that they understand the mechanics of a toy GBB M4 and a Real Steel AR-15, why they would feed the media such obvious FUD boggles ones mind.

“You couldn’t tell by weight or feel” that the guns were fake, ATF spokeswoman Cheryl Bishop said. “Most people would be hard-pressed to tell the difference, and that’s why we were so concerned.”

The metal pellet guns had the same size, weight and appearance of an M-4 automatic rifle, the weapon used by the U.S. military. The rifles did not have serial numbers on them, as real guns would, but they also did not have the orange-blaze tip required for all imported toy guns.

“You could slide a magazine in there. They load and charge very realistically, very much like the real thing,” Bishop said.

The ATF also determined that the shipment did not arrive with the proper permits to enter the United States. The guns will be destroyed.

It would seem the sensationalism and FUD are unnecessary if you are to believe the reports that the rifles arrived in the US without the federally mandated blaze orange tip and improper permits for importation. If you just take those factors into consideration, it becomes a non-story.

What would have seemed to be a error of the clerical and shipping nature has been turned into a FUD based crusade by US Authorities for reasons that are kind of unclear and Seattle based news site, King5.com certainly doesn’t help the situation by incorrectly (in all intonations) referring to the toys as ‘Machine Guns’.

"These rifles could have had far-reaching and potentially devastating ramifications if they had gotten into the hands of individuals who wanted to do harm in the American population," said Customs and Border Protection Area Port Director, Rolando Suliveras, Jr. "This was a good interception by our officers."

FUD = Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

The fact that the shipment arrived in the United States in October of last year and has only just been discovered, Feb 8th 2010, also raises questions.

An anonymous source has stated that the airsoft shipment was heading to Oregon based retailer Airsoft Outlet NorthWest, we have contacted Airsoft Outlet NW for confirmation but as of time of writing, although contacted us, have not released a statement concerning the seizure.

According to the Airsoft Outlet NW website, the owner of Airsoft Outlet Northwest will be addressing the news on the Lars Larson Show on 750 AM KXL at 2p.m. today.

Airsoftology Podcast Episode #29 "Shameless"

cqrt — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:28:00 +0000

Another great podcast from the guys at Airsoftology…

The big announcement this week is hats… That’s right, hats baby! I know what you are thinking; that we’re shameless self-promoters, but hey…we have to eat too! Check out the store and grab yours today. It helps the show…every penny goes back into the podcast.

Patches: Boy, you are in luck. We though we were out of patches but after digging around the bunker we found a small stash; and 9 sets remain. Once they are gone, they are gone… and there will be new designs in their place.

Informative with a touch of humour; we break down the news, reviews and questions that you want to hear.

Click below to play [00:58:35] or Download

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Also now in HD video for you to enjoy.

From the dept of ‘I need another WA 1911 like I need a hot poker in my eye’, some new WA GBB’s

cqrt — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:56:32 +0000

Another day, another Western Arms 1911. Click each poster for the details of each new pistol.

GHK PDW GBB in a 5 Magazine Torture Test

cqrt — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:40:26 +0000

We’ve seen plenty of videos now of the prototype GHK PDW GBB in action and if they weren’t enough to wet your appetite, GHK Airsoft, famous for their gas blowback AK74 series, has released a new video of the GHK PDW GBB chewing through 5 GHK magazines on full auto with it barely skipping a beat (a couple of misfires due to the bolt not seating but we won’t hold that against them as it is a prototype after all). The lack of a cool-down effect is very conspicuous. Nice.

Airsoftology Episode #28: "Muffin Top" Now in glorious HD Video

cqrt — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:51:48 +0000

Another great podcast from the guys at Airsoftology…

Ok, we have a running bet and it isn’t pretty. It involves Steve, an Echo1 Red Star covert, some revealing pink clothing and a day of airsoft. If you want more information than that you have to tune into this episode, come on…you know you want to.

Patches: Boy, you are in luck. I though we were out of patches but I dug around in the bunker and found 12 more sets (and these are all that remain)!!! Once they are gone, they are gone… and there will be new designs in their place, and hats too… That’s right, hats baby!

Informative with a touch of humor; we break down the news, reviews and questions that you want to hear.

Click below to play [1h:05m:43s] or Download

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Now in glorious HD Video also…

Everything Airsoft

WE TTI M16A1 and M16A2 GBB Prototype Spy Shots

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