TagSoft sports and Paintball

The differences between TagSoft sports and Paintball are substantial. TagSoft sports are:

• Cheaper, primarily due to the lower price of pellets and venue infrastructure (i.e. no need for high-pressure air);
• Safer: the muzzle energies are a lot lower primarily due to the small and lighter projectiles;
• Environmental friendlier: TagSoft pellets are biodegradable. Paintballs leave reside behind and have been designed for wetter climates to be washed off by the rain;
• Expanded competition formats: paintball does not easily lend itself to Practical Shooting and Reenactment type competitions.

The difference between the sport of GelSoft and Airsoft is in the pellets the discharge of the device:

• GelSoft uses gel balls that are required to be hydrated in water before use, also referred to as Orbeez. The diameter ranges between 7 and 8 millimetres diameter; and
• Airsoft uses round plastic pellets of 6 millimetres diameter, called BBs.

Minor differences (approximately 5%) exist between Gel Blasters and Airsoft Devices in order to allow for the slightly different pellets.

Gel Blasters have been legal to own in Western Australia until the 3rd July 2021, when they were classified as a Prohibited Weapon under the Weapons Act 1999.

Gel Blasters require a firearms licence to own in South Australia.

Gel Blasters do not require a firearms licence in Queensland and there are no appearance limitations.

Gel Blasters of “cartoon or futuristic appearance that does not imitate/would not reasonably be mistaken for being a real firearm” represent a toy in Tasmania and there are no associated restrictions. Gel Blasters that imitate firearms are not permitted.

In Victoria, Gel Blasters that “generally cannot be mistaken for a working firearm by a reasonable person will be treated as a toy firearm or other firearm-themed paraphernalia and can be owned without a licence or other authority”.

In New South Wales. Gel Blasters are classified as an air gun and require a firearms licence. Gel Blasters that substantially duplicate in appearance a military
style firearm4 are classified as a prohibited firearm.

It is unclear what the classification of Gel Blasters in the Northern Territory is. There is limited official information.

There is no specific legislation regarding TagSoft sports. TagSoft sports are generally accepted, just as similar sports such as paintball and laser tag are accepted.

There are however specific regulatory requirements applicable to TagSoft equipment.

Airsoft devices are a controlled item under the Federal Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 and cannot be acquired or possessed by clubs or individuals anywhere in Australia.

Gel Blasters and Gel Balls are classified as Prohibited Weapons in Western Australia under the Weapons Act 1999. It is illegal to:

(a) bring or send a prohibited weapon into the State;
(b) carry or possess a prohibited weapon;
(c) purchase, sell or supply a prohibited weapon; or
(d) manufacture a prohibited weapon.

Gel Blasters were banned on the 3rd July 2021 after more than three years of being allowed in Western Australia. This has seen the hobby of the law-abiding Gelsoft community of around 2,000 active practitioners prohibited virtually overnight. This was done with:

• No consultation. The Club was advised, not consulted of the upcoming regulatory change. Only the concerns of WA Police were considered;
• No amnesty. The change to the Weapons Regulations 1999 came into force the day they were published;
• No compensation. Neither players nor business were provided any compensation for their loss and the Gel Blasters they were required to surrender;
• No empathy. When asked about the impact on the sports community and the financial losses, the Minister for Police advised:
  • “Get another hobby”; and
  • “Bad investment decision”.

During the press conference in which the Minister for Police announced the upcoming ban on Gel Blaster was based on several concerns of WA Police:

1. Incidents involving gel blasters;
2. Gel blasters converted to workable firearms; and
3. Gel blasters mistaken for real firearms by WA Police.

Incidents involving Gel Blasters

The Minister for Police advised there have been 147 police callouts in 2020 regarding incidents involving gel blasters. In a separate correspondence, WA Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch advises there have been 1,600 police callouts since 2017 to such incidents. These numbers do not seem to match as the popularity of Gelsoft was lower before 2020.

For the first half of 2021, the Queensland Minister for Police advised there have been 10 incident involving gel blasters in the entire State. All of these were behavioural incidents (e.g. people portraying gel blasters in public) and none of them were criminal. Queensland has a population double to that of WA and the number of gel blasters was probably 100 times higher than in WA (there were between 20 – 30 dedicated physical stores, numerous online business selling gel blasters in Queensland and numerous venues to play Gelsoft. WA had no physical stores at the time of the ban).

The stark difference in the number of incidents is based on the action / inaction of the State Police Force. Queensland Police has launched a gel blaster public education campaign “STOP & Think” from the very beginning gel blasters were allowed in Queensland. This campaign had the support of the entire industry and community: venues, retailers, players, media, etc.

On the other hand, between 2017 and 2021, WA Police has taken virtually no public education measures to advise of the legal penalties associated with gel blaster misuse. The penalties under the Weapons Act 1999 were up to 2 years jail and $24,000 fine for causing fear, not having a lawful excuse to own a Gel Blaster, ownership by minors, etc. At the sight of such lack of action from WA Police, the Western Australia Airsoft and Gel Ball Club Inc. developed a public education campaign called “My Blaster, My Responsibility”. The campaign was rolled out at public exhibitions, Gelsoft venues, retailers sending gel blasters to WA, through online media and others means. The Club requested the support of WA Police for their campaign or a similar one in order to reach more people and contribute to a reduction in incidents, however we were refused.

Gel blasters converted to workable firearms

There is a significant difference between an attempted conversion and a successful conversion. Beaton Firearms experts were consulted on the matter and advised “There’s pretty much nothing on a Gel Blaster which you can utilize to manufacture a firearm. And you’d need an entire firearm to turn a gel blaster into a firearm… It’s just not feasible at all”.

If the opinion of a local firearms expert is not sufficient to debunk this inaccuracy we further refer to Airsoft devices. Gel blasters are slightly modified Airsoft devices (i.e. they share 95% the same components). With the exception of a handful of countries (i.e. Australia, North Korea, Syria, Papua New Guinea, Uzbekistan and a few others), Airsoft has been legal in the entire world for over 30 years.

If Airsoft devices / Gel Blasters were indeed able to be converted to workable firearms all the countries in which Airsoft is legal (i.e. about 97% of the world) would have shared the concern of WA Police and would have most likely banned them. However this is not the case. The same goes for all the Australian States and Territories that allow Gel Blasters.

Gel blasters mistaken for real firearms by WA Police

This is likely more a concern related to the training WA Police offers to their personnel. It is very difficult to understand how an assault rifle type Gel Blaster could be mistaken for a real firearm.

Such firearms, of assault rifle type appearance, have been banned in Australia in two subsequent waves: one after the Second World War and another one 24 years ago, after the Port Arthur incident. The only assault rifle type real firearms are owned by the Police and the Military. This is further substantiated by the firearms appearance laws that have been in place for over 24 years all over Australia. We are quite confident that WA Police does not encounter such firearms in their seizures.

Furthermore, criminals require firearms that can easily be concealed and not attracting attention. A gel blaster is definitely not one. Furthermore, it is also the behaviour of the individual that is a key driver to differentiate between what could be a real firearm and what would be an imitation such as a Gel Blaster.

The Club is the only not-for-profit organisation in Western Australia lobbying for TagSoft sports. Established in 2017 in conformance with all Government regulations, We work hard to advance, promote and safeguard these awesome sports so you can enjoy them with your friends.

Government and the wider community expects an organisation such as ours to govern, educate and regulate the sport in order to permit its future presence. We are here to prevent the South Australian case where Gel Blasters were effectively banned overnight and business and hobbies ruined, as well as to expand the sport of Gel Ball.

By becoming a Club Member, you:

• Become part of a great community;
• Support us in achieving our objectives to advance, promote and safeguard the sport of Gel Ball and Airsoft in Western Australia.