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When i first saw that SR were selling BB Guns is was quite surprised. Firstly let me just say that i`m no prude and i`m quite sure that there are alot of responsible people out there who have purchased one of these guns, but i can`t help feeling about the possibility of that odd "one person" who slips through the net, i mean, if i was to phone through an order today for any of the BB Guns, would the operator ask to check my age? and if so, what kind of check can be made? Also, who at SR actually monitors these sales? These guns require no licence to hold and could fall into the hands of a minor.
Lets say a gun is sold to a club member, last i checked you never have to put your date-of-birth on the membership form, so who`s to say it cannot be sold to someone under 18 when purchased via phone or internet?
Perhaps in light of the possible injuries that can be caused even by a BB Gun, anyone under 18 purchasing such a gun does so knowing full well their real age, and without the required back-up from SR to check this, i fear that in the eyes of the law the retailer would be responsible.
Maybe someone from SPECIAL RESERVE would like to comment on their policy and how they police it, as being an ex-staff member i`ve a certain perspective on the way phone calls are taken in the call-room and the training of the staff there under Yvonne, so it would be quite insightful.
Maybe even Tony might like to comment too...?
Anyway, what do any of you Chat Forum people think about the sales of BB Guns by SPECIAL RESERVE....?
Lets say a gun is sold to a club member, last i checked you never have to put your date-of-birth on the membership form, so who`s to say it cannot be sold to someone under 18 when purchased via phone or internet?
Perhaps in light of the possible injuries that can be caused even by a BB Gun, anyone under 18 purchasing such a gun does so knowing full well their real age, and without the required back-up from SR to check this, i fear that in the eyes of the law the retailer would be responsible.
Maybe someone from SPECIAL RESERVE would like to comment on their policy and how they police it, as being an ex-staff member i`ve a certain perspective on the way phone calls are taken in the call-room and the training of the staff there under Yvonne, so it would be quite insightful.
Maybe even Tony might like to comment too...?
Anyway, what do any of you Chat Forum people think about the sales of BB Guns by SPECIAL RESERVE....?
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i own several BB guns, air guns, swords and various assorted weapons.
if i decided to do something stupid with them, at no point would i expect to see the place of sale penalised, as what i choose to do with them is MY decision.
if you're to apply this thinking to replica weapons because they could cause harm, then surely tescos should send people to customers' houses to make sure they don't microwave their food for too long and risk burning themselves, also potentially causing harm.
bottom line is that 99% of the time, people will get their hands on what they want if they want it and for the foreseeable future, no amount of safeguarding will change this. consider all the people that DO own weapons though and use them in a responsible way, it's a vast majority, only a minority are cretinous enough to do something daft with them and it's impossible to babysit them 24/7.
if i decided to do something stupid with them, at no point would i expect to see the place of sale penalised, as what i choose to do with them is MY decision.
if you're to apply this thinking to replica weapons because they could cause harm, then surely tescos should send people to customers' houses to make sure they don't microwave their food for too long and risk burning themselves, also potentially causing harm.
bottom line is that 99% of the time, people will get their hands on what they want if they want it and for the foreseeable future, no amount of safeguarding will change this. consider all the people that DO own weapons though and use them in a responsible way, it's a vast majority, only a minority are cretinous enough to do something daft with them and it's impossible to babysit them 24/7.
Here's a little something I had on my PC from a while back, when SR Egham got the BB guns in.
[URL]http://www.figanomics.co.uk/images/srgun.jpg[/URL]
[URL]http://www.figanomics.co.uk/images/srgun.jpg[/URL]
KNIGHTS TEMPLARS wrote:
> Hmmm... Your last two lines worry me.
> Does this mean you condone the selling of 18 only items to people
> under that age, and from that do we have to understand that perhaps
> you own checks with each BB Gun sale are not as strict as you would
> like us to think?
> Just because we know it can happen doesn`t mean we should endorse it
> - in fact you should actively stop such sales, as that IS a legal
> requirement!
No, stop eating for a moment and learn to read. I didn't say anything about sale of restricted items to minors. I said that we cannot stop adults from buying items and then giving their kids access to them. There is no legal requirement to follow customers home and watch who adults let use the product after we have legitimately sold it. That would be ridiculous.
Also, while you're learning to read properly, learn to spell. 'Knights Templars' surely makes no grammatical sense.
> Hmmm... Your last two lines worry me.
> Does this mean you condone the selling of 18 only items to people
> under that age, and from that do we have to understand that perhaps
> you own checks with each BB Gun sale are not as strict as you would
> like us to think?
> Just because we know it can happen doesn`t mean we should endorse it
> - in fact you should actively stop such sales, as that IS a legal
> requirement!
No, stop eating for a moment and learn to read. I didn't say anything about sale of restricted items to minors. I said that we cannot stop adults from buying items and then giving their kids access to them. There is no legal requirement to follow customers home and watch who adults let use the product after we have legitimately sold it. That would be ridiculous.
Also, while you're learning to read properly, learn to spell. 'Knights Templars' surely makes no grammatical sense.
loki wrote:
> KNIGHTS TEMPLARS wrote:
> If they think putting "must be over 18" in the mag on that
> page is going to stop it, they are very misguided!
> DVD, 18 rated games and adult material regulary find their ways into
> the hands of children. Some would say its bad parenting, but is it
> not also up to retailers to ensure some measures to prevent such
> things in the first place?
>
> To an extent yes, which is why we have put a number of measures in
> place. Everyone buying in a shop's name and address is registered, we
> only sell to over 18s (that is our own policy, not the legal
> requirement) and we give free safety goggles with every BB Gun (also
> not a requirement).
>
> And it's not like any retailer is going to stop selling 18 rated DVDs
> in case a parent lets their child watch it.
Hmmm... Your last two lines worry me.
Does this mean you condone the selling of 18 only items to people under that age, and from that do we have to understand that perhaps you own checks with each BB Gun sale are not as strict as you would like us to think?
Just because we know it can happen doesn`t mean we should endorse it - in fact you should actively stop such sales, as that IS a legal requirement!
> KNIGHTS TEMPLARS wrote:
> If they think putting "must be over 18" in the mag on that
> page is going to stop it, they are very misguided!
> DVD, 18 rated games and adult material regulary find their ways into
> the hands of children. Some would say its bad parenting, but is it
> not also up to retailers to ensure some measures to prevent such
> things in the first place?
>
> To an extent yes, which is why we have put a number of measures in
> place. Everyone buying in a shop's name and address is registered, we
> only sell to over 18s (that is our own policy, not the legal
> requirement) and we give free safety goggles with every BB Gun (also
> not a requirement).
>
> And it's not like any retailer is going to stop selling 18 rated DVDs
> in case a parent lets their child watch it.
Hmmm... Your last two lines worry me.
Does this mean you condone the selling of 18 only items to people under that age, and from that do we have to understand that perhaps you own checks with each BB Gun sale are not as strict as you would like us to think?
Just because we know it can happen doesn`t mean we should endorse it - in fact you should actively stop such sales, as that IS a legal requirement!
You may well go above and beyond your normal legal requirements, but don`t you think you setting a bad example?
Take a look at the age range most of your products are geared towards, a vast majority of PS2, XBOX and Gameboy owners WILL be late teens and under simply due to the nature of the products and the advertisments which pepper TV around 3:30pm - just as they get home from school!
Also, how can you hope for these guns to be used safely? If a child got hold of it they would see it as a toy, so how long before either next doors cat, the front window, the car or even the child themselves get in direct contact, just to name a few, what happens then?
You say they are not powerful, but could you say the same if it was fired at close range? Children do not think about morals when they`re playing, its all innocent fun until something happens. And just try to get them to wear the goggles!
I suppose i`m just annoyed that SPECIAL RESERVE - which i remember from its early days selling from a small shop at the top of the stairs next to the loading bay - has chosen to sell items that are NOT computer or console related and which do not seem to have had much thourght given to them relating to under-age usage. Your image is tarnished, and for what? Mr Rainbird`s cash tills to overflow with dosh from the sale of these horrible replica guns.
I sincerely hope the demand falls and they are taken out of the mag and the stock returned to the makers.
Take a look at the age range most of your products are geared towards, a vast majority of PS2, XBOX and Gameboy owners WILL be late teens and under simply due to the nature of the products and the advertisments which pepper TV around 3:30pm - just as they get home from school!
Also, how can you hope for these guns to be used safely? If a child got hold of it they would see it as a toy, so how long before either next doors cat, the front window, the car or even the child themselves get in direct contact, just to name a few, what happens then?
You say they are not powerful, but could you say the same if it was fired at close range? Children do not think about morals when they`re playing, its all innocent fun until something happens. And just try to get them to wear the goggles!
I suppose i`m just annoyed that SPECIAL RESERVE - which i remember from its early days selling from a small shop at the top of the stairs next to the loading bay - has chosen to sell items that are NOT computer or console related and which do not seem to have had much thourght given to them relating to under-age usage. Your image is tarnished, and for what? Mr Rainbird`s cash tills to overflow with dosh from the sale of these horrible replica guns.
I sincerely hope the demand falls and they are taken out of the mag and the stock returned to the makers.
Fair enough. My only point was that, in response to the original post, we actually go well beyond our legal obligations to restrict sales to children and to encourage safe use of BB Guns sold from Special Reserve.
There are 18-rated movies on just after 9pm in this Country, but that's not really an issue anymore. How many kids under 18 do you think own GTA? But the BB Guns are different because they supply the means to cause actual physical harm in the wrong hands. Not saying that everyone will use them for that, but there's always the risk, and I think it detracts from SR's image.
monkey_man wrote:
> My girlfriend gets asked for ID when she buys 18-rated DVDs. She's
> 22. It's probably a good thing.
Yes, it probably is.
> My girlfriend gets asked for ID when she buys 18-rated DVDs. She's
> 22. It's probably a good thing.
Yes, it probably is.
KNIGHTS TEMPLARS wrote:
> If they think putting "must be over 18" in the mag on that
> page is going to stop it, they are very misguided!
> DVD, 18 rated games and adult material regulary find their ways into
> the hands of children. Some would say its bad parenting, but is it
> not also up to retailers to ensure some measures to prevent such
> things in the first place?
To an extent yes, which is why we have put a number of measures in place. Everyone buying in a shop's name and address is registered, we only sell to over 18s (that is our own policy, not the legal requirement) and we give free safety goggles with every BB Gun (also not a requirement).
And it's not like any retailer is going to stop selling 18 rated DVDs in case a parent lets their child watch it.
> If they think putting "must be over 18" in the mag on that
> page is going to stop it, they are very misguided!
> DVD, 18 rated games and adult material regulary find their ways into
> the hands of children. Some would say its bad parenting, but is it
> not also up to retailers to ensure some measures to prevent such
> things in the first place?
To an extent yes, which is why we have put a number of measures in place. Everyone buying in a shop's name and address is registered, we only sell to over 18s (that is our own policy, not the legal requirement) and we give free safety goggles with every BB Gun (also not a requirement).
And it's not like any retailer is going to stop selling 18 rated DVDs in case a parent lets their child watch it.
My girlfriend gets asked for ID when she buys 18-rated DVDs. She's 22. It's probably a good thing.
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