14 minute read
FEATURE: TWAAA
A FORCE FOR GOOD
IT’S A FACT THAT TAIWAN IS ONE, IF NOT THE, CURRENT DRIVING FORCE BEHIND AIRSOFT MANUFACTURE THESE DAYS, AND LUCKILY WE HAVE “A MAN THAT CAN” IN THE FORM OF STEWBACCA TO REPORT MONTHLY FROM SOURCE! IN AN INDUSTRY THAT GENERALLY SEEMS WOEFULLY SHORT OF “CHECKS AND BALANCES” HE NOW BRINGS IN A REPORT ON A TAIWANESE ORGANIZATION THAT COULD WELL SET THE TONE FOR HOW IN-HOUSE REGULATION CAN LEAD TO BETTER RELATIONS WITH THE WIDER WORLD, AND OPEN THE DOOR FOR SIMILAR MODELS WORLDWIDE!
Anyone who’s familiar with my earlier beginnings in my airsoft life path way back in 2005 as part of the original NTUSAS (Nottingham Trent University Student Airsoft Society) will no doubt remember my level of activity on the likes of airsoft forums and the amount of time and effort I spent conversing. This was especially true regarding matters of technical and legal aspects of firearms and replica firearms policy and culture in the face of the Violent Crime Reduction Act/Bill of 2007 that sought to outright outlaw anything remotely realistic imitation firearms related without much knowledge or thought towards the impact on what was then, before the growth of social media in particular, a fringe and niche hobby or interest largely undertaken by a fairly undiverse demographic.
I began actively skirmishing after being in university for a few years and having already collected gas pistols for as long as I was legally allowed to buy and own them, despite my mum’s vehement dislike of all things gun related, given her upbringing in the worst of the troubles in Northern Ireland. I guess I was fighting negativity from the outset.
Back then I remember many a… heated discussion… on the likes of ASCUK forums and whatnot, where I used to go by ‘Mr47’ before I eventually acquired the ‘Stewbacca’ moniker (which my parents inspired, ironically enough, calling me a ‘Wookie’ for my stature and the sound of my yawning!). Many back then didn’t necessarily always agree with what I said, but some nonetheless complimented me on the manner in which I delivered my thoughts… I guess it’s the Irish in me leaning on poet roots, or mum’s instilling of the likes of ‘If you can’t say anything nice, at least say it WELL’ – and since then I’ve always tried to deliver well-considered and accurate information, which has continued into my articles and reviews.
As it was, the likes of equally passionate, but perhaps better experienced bodies of people such as the United Kingdom Airsoft Retailers Association (UKARA) and United Kingdom Airsoft Player’s Union (UKAPU) helped to advocate effectively for our rights to continue doing our hobby and self-regulate the flow of new imports and sales of airsoft guns with a legal defence or exemption for registered legitimate airsoft skirmishers.
Nonetheless the advocacy and political awareness bug was already deeply rooted in me having been fortunate enough to not previously have much to complain about or feel affronted by in regards to legislative shifts and negative public opinions, misunderstanding, or outright intentional misrepresentation for personal or political point scoring, airsoft had already become of core interest and importance to me and my motives all that time ago.
TAIWAN BOUND
So it was when I moved to Taiwan back in 2017, I can’t lie that the comparatively permissive environment and culture here, as well as the increasing wealth of manufacturers based in the comparatively small island nation (apparently it now accounts for 60% of the world’s market share of a variety of airsoft or airgun products!) was a massive pull factor in my final decision making, and I’m sure my life would be immeasurably different, and worse if I’d gone elsewhere! Luckily I fell in love with the island on my first visit, the rest was inevitable.
Casting your minds back to issue August 2020’s issue 116 I wrote ‘Trouble in Paradise’; having already engaged with the legal and political landscape here as a result of the then recent shifts in legislation which were once again threatening to haphazardly sweep aside our interests in the vague name of the public good and a feeling of safety and legislative change towards genuinely threatening conversions of prop or model guns into live firing ones used for criminal activity… it all sounded painfully familiar at the time to the cries of the uninformed back in the UK about the alleged (and obviously ludicrous) ease with which our realistic looking toys could be easily reworked into death machines by bad actors.
Thankfully, again, advocacy groups and the strength of the resident manufacturing industry and obvious commercial interests, something the UK largely lacked during its similar experiences, helped to guide public and political information and education to prevent inadvertent negative impacting upon the airsoft industry and community both locally and internationally. Many in the UK at the time were concerned gas blowback guns were about to be axed
entirely for being too realistic, which is still a concern for many USbased users or distributors that limits their market penetration in the States as a result.
These positive efforts at the time were effected by not only protests by members of the community and industry, but funded and supported by manufacturers here, with many of their employees also being players or collectors and numbering those making their voices heard, but also by the relatively new TaiWan Airsoft & Airgun Association, the TWAAA.
TWAAA FTW!
The TWAAA was instituted in 2016 as a result of the continued shifting political landscape and somewhat indifferent or negative government, law enforcement and public perceptions or opinions of airsoft and the community here and everywhere in the world – once again a common theme I’ve seen everywhere I’ve played and with all nationalities I’ve discussed it with; the whole hobby and industry was born of restrictive laws in Japan governing real steel guns after all.
Since its inception, the TWAAA has made use of the extensive financial and industrial resources afforded by a whole host of manufacturers to advocate for common sense approaches and positive reforms to firearms and related legislation in Taiwan to better enable the hobby to be undertaken as well as the continued excellence and market leading design, development , manufacture, sale and distribution domestically without undue interference from the local authorities or harassment of players due to misunderstandings. I had the pleasure of being introduced to Mr ‘Willy’ Zhang BaiXun, the present leader of the TWAAA, during the latter part of 2021 following the easing of restrictions and the association’s continued efforts to inform and educate the public on our activities and the industry as a whole in Taiwan through the co-operation with the local government in taking over the nearby disused Shulin campground which has since been used and redeveloped to some extent to hold public
relations events and product introductions as well as events for a myriad of different demographics.
This includes most recently the Christmas Day Shooting Experience Day which saw many local mentally handicapped children and adults get to enjoy using Nerf, gel blaster and airsoft guns in controlled firing range environments with local industry partners supplying the relevant equipment and infrastructure. As well as working with the team who were brought
on from the old Camp 66 militaria museum I visited a few years back which has since been forced to close, all are helping to administer the site and run the program there as well as make use of their Polaris attack buggies to give people a taste of military vehicles and experiences.
Coupled with these events the last few years have also seen many newcomers enjoy the ‘camo show’ which introduces children and their parents to the positive aspects of toy gun use in a safe environment as well as promoting outdoor activities and military themed assault courses lowith 5v5 small scale skirmishes, to give the public a better idea about our activities and present them in a more realistic and less threatening manner and avoid misconceptions, as well as outright promote the community and its benefits.
Aside from these public relations efforts, the TWAAA also operate as a legal consulting body in terms of representing the industry and players as a recognised body that can deal direct with the government and local judicial or legislative departments to present no-nonsense cases and information to better inform policy and legal changes that protect both the country and its people, but also the legitimate actions of the non-criminal elements of airsoft and shooting sports in general in Taiwan.
INFORMATION EXCHANGE
I recently had the privilege of finally answering Mr Zhang’s offers to visit their head office not far from where I’m based in Taipei, which also happens to be where many of the manufacturers are based (convenient placement for me, eh?), having recently rounded off a lot of the article work and other responsibilities getting in my way as of late. The office space is adorned with various photographs and posters of different partnered manufacturers and retailers supporting the different positive aspects of replica weapons, and even features a mini-museum following the progression of the legal atmosphere in Taiwan with a timeline of important events and changes in legislation. There are also displays informing visitors of the composition of various types of airsoft or airguns, their methods of operation, and most importantly a sensible approach to classification based upon projectiles used and muzzle energies to make it clear to people not previously in the know that airsoft guns are very much less dangerous than air weapons or metal pellet high powered systems used in Olympic shooting or pest control.
The walls tell a story of the TWAAA and airsoft’s journey from the early era of importing Japanese made Marui guns and the loosening or abolition of overly restrictive laws which were previously stifling the industry, and charts the rise of some of the now world renowned major manufacturers since these changes, as well as the improvements in technologies and product ranges particularly domestically. A long table down the centre of the room is festooned with myriad larger forms of weapons such as assault rifles and sniper rifles, while the sides have displays of pistols and other accessories, as well as consumables or supporting industries such as ammunition, gas, tracer units, camouflage and tactical gear as well as storage and carriage solutions, while the end of the mini-tour addresses the aspects of sporting and hunting use of air weapons with
pictures of the likes of Wu Jia Ying (a Taiwanese Olympic ladies’ air pistol competitor) and native aboriginal hunters making use of airguns for eco-friendly invasive species control.
Finally aspects of police training and civilian-military education are shown with the displays of Umarex’s Training 4 Engagement simunitions/paintball pistols as well as Umarex/VFC gas blowback pistols replicating the Taiwanese National Police Agency’s Walther PPQ M2 NPA models. Mr Zhang tells me these have all lead to great improvements in training and capabilities of the local police due to the shift towards force on force training they afford where live fire only flat range qualifications are too limited to instil the right capabilities. Alongside this is a display of past and present Republic of China armed forces weapons from the M14, to the T65 and current T91 AR derivative rifles.
Much like the golden rules of firearms safety themselves, the TWAAA have their four main tenets adorning the entry to the museum area; they aim to; • Promote positive development of the industry – through standardisation and selfregulation of the types of replica guns produced as well as their function and capabilities. • Strive for legal protection of the industry and players – with their efforts towards effecting positive changes in firearms related legislation and avoiding
misuse of inappropriate laws intended for use against either those of genuine criminal intent or genuinely dangerous firearms, and preventing undue harassment or intervention by potentially misinformed or misguided law enforcement where no offence is committed. • Promote survival games (skirmishing) and the association and its activities – by means of their public relations and outreach events and educational programs and related activities. • Raise awareness, support and understanding of national defence – using airsoft or model guns to allow people to take part in low intensity shooting experiences but also get a feel for the trials that serving defence personnel endure.
Mr Zhang also pointed me to an apt supporting epithet emblazoning the wall that translated roughly as “understanding national defence begins when one appreciates the weight of a rifle”; allowing people to handle realistic replicas of standard weapons and equipment better informs them to the hardships the RoC armed forces undertake, and perhaps makes them appreciate and understand or support their efforts better. Taiwan still operates a national conscription model, albeit with progressively reduced terms of service over recent years which now amount to completing basic training, it seems as a result, that they could use all the help and public interest or support they can get, given the increasing intensity
and magnitude of their task.
On the other side of the facility is a very unique imported chronograph system the only of its kind in Taiwan not in the possession of the law enforcement apparatus; as a function of its oversight and legislative representation and self-governance, the TWAAA now requires its industry associates to provide samples of each gun typical of their production output for testing and evaluation, which also add to the permanent library of guns to help inform visitors or allow future reference as these are to be left with the TWAAA for the entirety of any production activities until they are removed from the market.
An industry-leading Oehler produced chronograph system imported from the US is enclosed in a climate controllable mini firing range with twin light curtains two metres apart and a permanent firing point half a metre in front of the first scanning unit to allow consistent measurements to be made and standards to be developed and adhered to, with the environment being adjustable to suit chronograph use at either 20*C for export models or 25*C for those domestically distributed replica firearms, with ten rounds being fired in every string and a printout of muzzle velocities being produced to be included with each sample.
On the walls near the main entrance to the office are nameplates of the various partners in terms of both manufacturers and distributors, as well as signatures of industry members and supporters who have visited which adorn one wall, which I happily added my own name to, and the entrance to the museum area has one simple phrase which I felt was best saved for last, and encompassed both the TWAAA’s mantra, and my own: “Beyond age and gender”.
I’ve always been a passionate advocate for *everyone* having the same opportunities to enjoy replica or real firearms, regardless of who they are, and the public relations aspect of the TWAAA’s activities have a strong focus on changing the perception that only young or middle-aged men of fringe or niche groups can or do enjoy shooting sports or hobbies. As with the Taiwan IDPA’s continued efforts as well, the more varied people we get involved and interested in a positive manner, the more voices and varied ones at that, we have to support our cause and continued enjoyment of all aspects of shooting.
It is Mr Zhang’s hope that the TWAAA can inspire similar organisations elsewhere in the world, to normalise shooting sports or hobbies, particularly South Korea and Australia which have very overbearing restrictions, and roll back unnecessarily oppressive legal frameworks or negative public perceptions. I think that’s something I, and everyone, can get behind. I’d like to sincerely thank Mr Zhang for his time and efforts, and hope to see the TWAAA, its supporting members and the community continue to flourish here, and its ideals spread elsewhere. AA
