UKARA was formed as a response to the drafting of the Violent Crime Reduction Bill in 2006 which later became an Act of Parliament.
UKARA is an association of UK Airsoft Retailers brought together to protect themselves from prosecution and enable a safe method of selling Realistic Imitation Firearms ( RiF's ) to the largest of the permitted purchaser groups in the UK, Airsoft Players.
The onus is on the seller of a RIF to make sure they only sell to a legitimate purchaser, prosecution could result as a failure to do this.
The Governments desire was to have a third party system in place which would track sales to legitimate purchasers of RiF's, checking their eligibility.
UKARA interest was to provide such a system and make it free to sites and players, and as inclusive as possible for the future of their market, without which they would not exist.
This has benefited all players and game sites, as it has produced a framework acceptable to the Government to allow Airsoft as a sport to remain viable.
The UKARA database keeps a record of all participating Airsoft players and game sites, and is used by retailers and the UKBA for verification of sales and imports.
The above information was taken directly from the UKARA website.
Here is the link to the UKARA website: www.ukara.org.uk
Each time you visit our site we keep a record of your visit in a database. After game 3 you can ask us for a UKARA Players registration application form, we fill in your details, you show us proof of who you are and of your address (1 photo ID with DOB & 1 Address ID) and we then stamp the form with their UKARA approved stamp. (We make a small admin charge of £10 for doing this and keeping database up to date).
Once you have the application stamped we add in the UKARA Players number and post the completed form out to you to the address you place on the form and your ID, you can then send it off to any UKARA registered retailer. The retailer will add you and your UKARA number to the UKARA database and process any order you may have with them at the same time. We and you will then receive confirmation from either the retailer or UKARA by post or email that you have been added to the database. You will then need to quote your UKARA number whenever you are purchasing RIF's from a UKARA registered retailer in the future. As long as you attend regular games with us (6 games in 12 months) you will remain UKARA registered.
You can check your UKARA status anytime by visiting the UKARA PLAYER SELF CHECK WEBSITE: http://www.ukaraselfcheck.co.uk