Crime and Policing Act 2026 becomes law

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 received royal assent on 29 April 2026, after passing through both Houses of Parliament. It is cited as 2026 c.20. The Act covers a wide range of policing and criminal justice measures, and players have asked us whether it changes anything for airsoft.

What the Act does

The Act raises the maximum penalties for offences linked to selling weapons. It adds a new offence of possessing a bladed article with intent to use unlawful violence. It also removes the £200 threshold that had treated low value shoplifting differently from other theft.

Its parts come into force at different times. Some provisions began on 29 June 2026, under the first commencement regulations. The Home Office has published a set of factsheets on the Act, updated on 30 September 2026.

What it means for airsoft

We have found nothing in the Act that changes the law on imitation firearms or realistic imitation firearms. The rules that matter to UK airsoft players stay as they were.

Those rules come mainly from the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. Under it, selling or importing a realistic imitation firearm is an offence unless a defence applies. The main defence for airsoft is that the replica is for a permitted activity, which covers regular skirmishers at insured sites. Two tone replicas, coloured so that they do not look realistic, can be bought without a defence. It is also an offence to carry an imitation firearm in a public place without a reasonable excuse.

None of that is changed by the 2026 Act.

The higher penalties for weapon sale offences are aimed at knives and other weapons sold to people who should not have them. Shops that sell knives, including some airsoft and outdoor shops, should check the new penalties and the factsheets. Age checks and delivery rules for bladed articles are the main area to review.

What happens next

More of the Act will come into force through further commencement regulations. We will keep reading those as they are made and will report anything that touches replica firearms, their sale or their transport.

Players who have questions about the law should look at the Act and the Home Office factsheets themselves, and ask their site or retailer how they apply the defence. If in doubt, carry replicas covered and out of sight, and only between home and the site.