The word on Orange Plugs...

FEDERAL D.o.C. (Department of Commerce) REQUIRED &

APPROVED/ORANGE MARKINGS:

All RGC air guns sold to non-DOC waiver holders (including foreign) conform to all Federal Guidelines and regulations in regards to the tips of the barrels being marked with Blaze Orange to quickly identify these as semi-lethal weapons.

All air soft guns in the USA are required by Federal Law to have the orange tip.

Note: All models are different, and these marks vary greatly from one gun to another (RGC currently has 11 different approved alternative DOC markings) and can change without notice if and when the DOC revises their approved marking criteria (which is about once per year). For the aforementioned reason we do not have the ability or funds to keep up with a photographic archive of the current exact DOC marking for every single weapon we carry. For this reason we provide a general guideline below which is always current in its information. If you have a specific model you are thinking of buying and want to know the current application of the DOC marking we would be happy to supply you with a written description if it is not already contained in the text below.

Note: The law is very clear that an owner may possess an unmarked DOC air soft or replica but you may not (nor anyone): manufacture, transport (ship it or receive it) or enter into commerce (buy, sell or advertise) without this attached approved marking. Therefore if you remove the mark you cannot resell or move the product via any form a transit. See Regulation below:

[57 FR 48453, Oct. 26, 1992]

Sec. 1150.2 Prohibitions.

"No person shall manufacture, enter into commerce, ship, transport, or receive any toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm (``device'') covered by this part as set forth in Sec. 1150.1 of this part unless such device contains, or has affixed to it, one of the markings set forth in Sec. 1150.3 of this part, or unless this prohibition has been waived by Sec. 1150.4 of this part."

DOC WAIVER FOR PROFESSION MOTION PICTURE USE:

If you are in actual possession of this waiver you may submit it to RGC’s legal department by sending a scan of the document via E-Mail. It will require as much as 6 weeks verifying your paper work with the appropriate agencies. If you are not in possession of this paper work you may apply for it. Waiver requires 3 years of back IRS 1040 forms, Notarized sworn statement as to usage, Project Summary / Script and any supporting film related materials like advertising etc. If you do not have the aforementioned documentation the DOC will not grant your request for a waiver. This process can drag out to be over 6-9 months so we recommend the following.

Many other guns we sell have spare parts you can buy that are unpainted / unmodified and you just swap out the DOC part for original when needed. Most our electric guns come with the Fed. Mandated Orange tip on the gun and an original unmodified / unpainted spare tip / flash suppressor for use in the professional film industry. This way RGC can quickly fill any order to a company or individual without delay (waiting 6-9 months for DOC paperwork to be approved [or not] for waiver of DOC required marking), which is required by Federal Regulations when doing commerce or shipping air soft product. Additionally this also keeps the customer out of jail, as it is also a felony to receive non-complying DOC air soft product as well. RGC looks out for its customers and makes every attempt to supply completely legal product without the risk of the customer being an unsuspecting receiver of a restricted / felony possession item.

Finally on the subject of Professional Motion Picture waiver and the need of the customer to have an unmarked air soft gun: We seriously doubt the legitimacy of any Professional Prop House or an Individual claiming to having this need yet lacking the expertise or ability to swap parts, paint over or remove a piece of plastic. Any legitimate company doing business in the Professional Entertainment Industry would have this equipment and expertise at their fingertips….we do.

Fake Silencers, Tracers and Flash Suppressors: non integral, sold separately or not attached to a weapon bearing a DOC marking are not marked when shipped. That is to say they are not painted with an approved DOC orange tip and thus special care should be used if they are used in conjunction with a marked weapon in so much as they will obstruct / cover the Safety Marking. Covering the DOC marking whether with electrical tape, repainting or with one of the aforementioned apparatus is a serious violation of Federal Law and is a great risk to life and limb.

NOTE: RGC also provides the ability to have the Approved DOC marking to be added to any item we sell for an added $2.00. Please allow 2-3 business days for this modification to be made.

The Spirit and Letter of the Law:

Regardless of the letter of the law it has been made perfectly clear from all government agencies involved with the importation, resale and simple possession, that this is a matter of PUBLIC SAFETY. RGC is a manufacturer and longtime advocate of retro-reflective conspicuity devises as they are proven to save lives. We live by this policy and frown upon anyone wishing to defeat any federally mandated or common sense safety precaution. Like the automotive seat belt law… RGC resents the government needing to pass a law to protect customers' when this should be basic common sense. Unfortunately we live in a world and a country where apparently we not only lack common sense but also have those consumer advocate groups, who perhaps from time to time, go too far. We wear our seat belts and leave on the DOC markings not because it is FEDERAL LAW but rather because it is just GOOD COMMON SENSE. We fully understand the customer's first reaction to want something that looks indistinguishable from the real thing but, also believe that once they are given the opportunity to see why this is a Federal Requirement and will act accordingly and with appropriate safety measures to ensure that nothing bad happens to themselves or those they care about.

In accordance with US Law, Current US Governmental Contract and our own Company Policy all RGC Air Guns & Model Guns for Theatrical, Movie, TV, Law Enforcement, Firearms Instruction, Sporting and Museums or Collectors for display use only. As stated the potential for disaster is so high as to mistaken identity with this product RGC reserves the right to refuse sale to any party whom exhibits an unsafe or unprofessional attitude towards the seriousness of this subject. These products should be considered as dangerous as a real loaded firearm. It is for this reason that we voluntarily restrict our sales. Your second amendment right has serious social ramifications and is not a license to be reckless.

RGC is required by a number of Federal Agencies to have all air-soft products evaluated for a variety of features. All air guns not only must meet Federal standards but also be pre-approved before import. For this reason we cannot necessarily special order any gun. The approval process takes 4-6 months to complete and costs about $1000.00 per application. This process does not absolutely guarantee approval. In fact 50% of the time we cannot get permission to import. Over the years we have come to realize, and are able to predict what items will pass and what ones will not. If there is an item you do not see on our extensive list of available products contact us. We will not go into detail as to the "why" something is not available. Common reasons for us not carrying particular items are:

•Product does not meet RGC standards for safety.

•Product does not meet RGC standards for quality.

•Product does not meet RGC standards for performance.

•Product does not meet Federal standards for whatever reasons.

•Little of no interest in market place.

•Product does not exist in air soft.

•BATF has ruled against it.

•No Royalties have been paid.

•IPR violations.

As this pre-approval process is not an act of congress but rather a group of regulations in a number of different agencies. The regulations may be interpreted differently from one administration to the next. It is relatively easy to change the criteria surrounding any particular regulation. This happens from time to time and when it does, all air guns or effected accessories must be re-submitted for re-approval. Normally we are given 9 months of operation lead way to continue sales while the re-approval takes place. During this time we are allowed to sell existing stock but not allowed to import new product. If this grace period expires and approval has not been granted we are required by our agreement with these agencies to suspend sales of non-approved product.

SPECIAL NOTE TO FOREIGN SUPPLIERS:

Although RGC appreciates you contacting us in regards to carrying your product please be aware that the criteria for importation into the USA is not like other countries. In general Federal Approval (assuming you offer a product that lives up to RGC standards and will pass CPSC evaluation in regards to safety issues) can take up to one year to achieve and costs RGC about $1000.00 per individual model approved. The paper work is monumental and requires that the product be seen in advance shipped directly from the supplier / manufacturer to the DOC in the exact form it will be imported. If it passes it is sent to RGC and we in turn remit it to 4 other Federal Agencies who control sale and importation of air soft products. We receive paper work / approval that are specific to the product, manufacture and importer. Approval from some other US company does not mean you can send in product to anyone else. You will note that our prices here in the USA are significantly higher than in the manufacturing company's home countries; this is because we have added cost cause by the aforementioned process and associated permits / resulting paper work.

Many of you have stated that you ship to other US companies without any paperwork or modification to the product. We believe that you believe this is legal. We assure you that it is not. The fact that a shipment arrived to its location does not mean that a qualified US Customs Inspector examined the contents of the box. More often than not no one looks inside or those who do are not aware of the situation in regards to what exactly is required. More and more seizures are taking place as US Customs Teams are alerted to the smuggling of air soft BB guns. And they do consider lack of paper work smuggling and the importer is not allowed the option to bring the items in compliance, which results in the destruction of the product. As you are aware US Law is very clear about whose responsibility it is when it comes to Federal Indictment and Prosecution. You the shipper / manufacture are completely exempt from any responsibility in this matter. The Importer is the one who gets prosecuted for these violations. Thus, a violation on your part means a Federal Indictment to the importer. In short unless we are totally satisfied that your company can perform and will perform the required modifications we cannot afford to do business with you. To date RGC has lost some $40,000.00 over 10 years of doing business in air soft due to non-compliance of requested tasks from RGC. We have a solid supply chain at this moment for all product listed on our web site. If you are looking to sell items we already carry it is not likely we will be interested. If on the other hand you manufacture a product not found on our web site please feel free to contact us.

RGC buys only from the actual manufactures themselves of these products. No middleman company could possibly understand what we require for a valid and legal importation. Again RGC imports in volume. We are not like your other buyers who order 1-10 units at a time thus; due to the small quantity these shipments often go unopened or inspected by US Customs. Average RGC shipment is between 500 and 1500 units of air guns or 600 square feet to 1800 square feet of cargo. Not something to be missed by a US Customs Team.

PROFESSIONAL MOTION PICTURE / THEATRICAL USE:

As with the creation of 250+ cable channels in the past few years there has emerged a whole new realm of low budget film and television productions. New digital editing and digital effect techniques have enabled the easy addition of flying brass and muzzle flashes on even the most modest VTR editors. The advantages are multi fold: At present to use a live firearm on location requires a special handler @ $700.00 per day plus the cost of the particular weapons and blanks / effects. The danger involved with this is also great. Even blanks discharge material and gas that can easily seriously injure someone. The use of these new air guns makes even extreme close-ups and live firing cost effective for even the lowest budget companies. The uses of BB’s are most often used as a visual marker signal the editor to apply flying brass and muzzle flash and sound effects. Most likely you have already seen similar air guns in Films & on TV, Air Soft BB guns often used as stunt doubles for the real firearm. When you see the bad guy throws down his gun it is most often an Air Soft BB gun that is dropped to avoid damage to real and valuable firearms. Use of rubber guns has been limited in the past years as the cost to make them is high.

NOTE: Film and Theatrical versions do not have DOC markings.

Any Questions?  Send them to: legal@replica guns.com