Some dude is selling ‘senjata bahaya’ to Malaysians, but on YouTube.. so is that still illegal?

YouTube is awesome. You got your dumb animal videos, people selling guns, baby shark doodoododoo… hold up, rewind. People selling GUNS?!

Our editor came across this video posted last August, of a guy selling a gun for RM2,000. The seller describes it as a Glock 17 from Lone Wolf and he disassembles it to show all the parts. The weapon’s magazine is missing, however, said the seller. The purchase would also come with eight 9mm bullets. Watch it here yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QZzV0woutY

CILISOS spoke to ST, a guy who sells gun accessories in Malaysia, to get his input on this. He wished to be anonymous.

Is this even a legit gun or is it a scam?

We don’t know for sure that the video was recorded here because there are no contact details, but the seller names Malaysia a few times, not to mention he names his price in ringgit. Plus the channel, ‘Airsoft & entertainment Asia and united‘ has ‘Malaysia’ in a couple of its video titles, so he could be based here and selling primarily to Malaysian consumers. The earliest video uploaded was 1 year ago, while the latest (at this time of writing) was 16 hours ago, so it looks like the account is still active. It has 4.1k subscribers.

We can’t help feeling that it’s sketchy though. Where do we even begin? From the comments on his channel, some people aren’t buying it either (figuratively and literally): 

So we asked ST what his thoughts were on this. In his opinion, it’s NOT a real gun.

“This is an airsoft gun [referring to the Glock 17]. And the “bullets” are not the correct size, looks like 0.45 caliber. And “Lone Wolf” is probably a low end China copy.” – ST told us on WhatsApp

Airsoft guns are replica weapons used in airsoft sports – think of it as being similar to as paintball. Airsoft guns are a special type of very low-power air guns designed to shoot non-metallic spherical projectiles often (incorrectly) referred to as “BBs“. They are typically made of plastic or biodegradable resin. No, airsoft guns can’t kill people under normal circumstances. They sure as heck look like the real deal though.

We should also note that the YouTube seller does sell airsoft guns as well. In fact, the majority of his videos are on airsoft guns with the occasional ‘real gun’ video (three to be exact).

On top of that the seller offered to meet the buyer somewhere or ship it! Who does that with real guns?! If you read our previous article on gun laws, buying a firearms is not as simple as walking into a shop and choosing whatever catches your fancy, like you would jewellery… ooh look at that diamonddd!

Some dealers will mention straight up that they won’t entertain walk ins – you’ll need to submit your gun permit for an appointment. We found one in the Klang Valley that didn’t have such a requirement. The person who attended to our writer (who pretended to be interested in buying a gun) was well-dressed, professional, and very courteous in telling him that he couldn’t buy a gun:

“You’ll need to get a permit for that, bro.” – Q

Well, that’s good news for our office bully a.k.a. our editor. (JOKING LA CHAK!)

Since it’s an airsoft gun, it’s… NOPE still not ok to sell it online in Malaysia

According to ST, even airsoft guns and paintball guns are not permitted. It is included in the Arms Act 1960. Sorry, airsoft and paintball enthusiasts. 🙁

In 2013, the police gave owners a month to surrender their unlicensed airsoft guns and paintball markers to the nearest district police HQ. Only registered operators and clubs will be granted permits. Those found to be still in possession of the arms after the deadline can be jailed for up to a year, and fined up to RM5,000, or both, but children below 14 years are exempted.

“Those who are unlicensed but fulfil these requirements may submit their applications to own the guns for sporting purposes, according to Section 4 of the Arms Act. Applications for individual owners will not be entertained.” – Bukit Aman Logistics Director Comm Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah, The Star

But why spoil people’s fun if it’s not lethal?

“No but they look like the real ones which PDRM isn’t happy with. Too many cases where idiots used fake guns for no good.” – ST explained

We read about this… er… not-so-but-still-kind-of hilarious story where two guys tried to rob a smartphone shop in Puchong, but it backfired so horribly when the shop owner realised he was being threatened with a toy gun. The ‘victim’ turned on his attackers with a machete and chased them off instead. Yup, no one injured… except the robbers’ pride!

On a serious note though, people truly get into mischief with fake guns. Read about them here, here and here.

Sellers too must own a proper licence to sell these equipment, same as any real firearms seller. Like we mentioned earlier, customers are required to submit their licence before they can make an appointment to visit the shop. So all those you buy online could actually get you and the seller in trouble.

“I don’t see why he is doing this openly on YouTube. Firearms dealers can’t advertise their wares, hence nobody does. Selling online – NO. All sales must be with a valid firearms license.” – ST

So to put it simply, airsoft guns are not as lethal as real guns and with the proper protective gear, are generally safe for competitive sporting and recreational purposes. The issue is that it causes a moral panic among the public because it looks like a real weapon, so the cops have to think of public safety as well. Serious, people have been shot dead by cops because the officers mistook their airsoft gun for the genuine article. Malaysia is not the only country to implement rules and licensing on airsoft guns.

So ya guys, don’t walk into a Toys R Us and ask for one k.