Everything Ban: In your country?

[Gaius Decius Aquilius]

Are you asking me or John? When I ran a search on reproduction crossbows, circa 1500, I remember finding a reference to not shipping any crossbows to England citing a reference to a prohibition to anything over a (specific) 1.5 kilo pull. Most of the crossbows I found were modern, and not historic replicas. I checked a number of sites that day, and cannot, off the top of my head, remember which one cited what. I also ran across a reference to to permits, and a prohibition to public display or usage of one, this being a criminal offence. There were references to laws of 1986(?) and 2006. Shooting one was restricted to a target range, which if I recall right must be licenced or have a permit or something. The context made it sound like a new law recognising "granfathered" crossbows, with the limitations noted above, but that new ones where a legal issue, as with the sword ban. Most replica crossbows, I found, are non-functional, and noted the pull as being less than five pounds (1.5 kilos, or thereabout) which was not what I was looking for. I am not a lawyer and disclaim anything I say as legal advise or anything close. Given all the other restrictions all over the place I saw no reason to question the caution on non-shipment.

Ralph

[john m roberts]

It's what I was told by sporting goods dealers in Edinburgh in '73. Longbows were no problem, but crossbows were banned because poachers had been using them. I saw no reason to doubt them.

[Epictetus]

Trying to wade through legislation is a tricky business, but I found this.

1. A person who sells or lets on hire a crossbow or a part of a crossbow to a person under the age of seventeen is guilty of an offence, unless he believes him to be seventeen years of age or older and has reasonable ground for the belief.

2. A person under the age of seventeen who buys or hires a crossbow or a part of a crossbow is guilty of an offence.

3. A person under the age of seventeen who has with him—
(a) a crossbow which is capable of discharging a missile, or
(b) parts of a crossbow which together (and without any other parts) can be assembled to form a crossbow capable of discharging a missle
is guilty of an offence, unless he is under the supervision of a person who is twenty-one years of age or older.
Crossbows Act 1987

However, it appears that in 2007 the legal age was raised to 18.

In the Crossbows Act 1987 (c.32), in the provisions mention in subsection (2), for “seventeen” in each place it occurs, substitute “eighteen”.

Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 17)

Not being familiar with UK law, I have no idea if this applies elsewhere or if this is just Scotland. If this law is still in force, it looks to me that crossbows are legal as long as you are over 18.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Those are the facts, thanks.
My crossbow is a modern(ish) with a 120lb pull. I bought it in '82.
Yes, I had ment it for John originally, but I'll accept an answer from anyone who will talk to me.... :wink:

Sorry John, I think someone was waffeling at you. There has been some lobbying to ban them totally, but I think it is just a use foe hunting ban, and in public places.
For good reason, mind you....the archery clubs don't allow crossbows because they destroy the targets too quickly.

[Epictetus]

Of course, the law could have been different prior to 1987. And in regards to mail-order, perhaps the seller needs to verify age. This would be presumably be impossible if the buyer wasn't there in person.