AN INCREASING number of acid attacks in 2018 led to government proposals to restrict the sale of acid and acid related products.
Under the Offensive Weapons Bill, the sale of these items would be handled similarly to that of weapons such as knives or vintage firearms.
However, this legislation presented a threat to the online sale of batteries containing acid, due to difficulties in age verification during mail order transactions.
Identifying the issue and the potential consequence it would have on the motorcycle aftermarket sector and its members’ businesses, the Motorcycle Industry Association took action.
Working in collaboration with the Bill team from the Home Office and also with members of the House of Lords, the MCIA team successfully convinced the Government to change the proposed legislation to exclude vehicle batteries.
CEO of the MCIA, Tony Campbell, commented “No one would argue against the core purpose of this Bill, but as can happen with this type of legislation, unrelated issues get entangled with unintended consequences.
“Therefore, timely and decisive action by the team at the MCIA resulted in this positive outcome and avoided any disruption or threat to our members’ businesses.”
