Commentary on Sections Part 2 - Criminal Law Section 35 - Sale and hire of crossbows to persons under 18
173.The Crossbows Act 1987 controls the sale and hire of crossbows and this section introduces new provisions to that Act. Subsection (3) introduces a new section 1A to achieve consistency with the proof of age provisions of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 by clarifying the defences a person charged with selling an article to someone underage can rely upon. Subsection (4) introduces a new section 3A which has the effect of legalising an attempt to purchase or hire a crossbow by a young person, where the young person is acting as part of an authorised test purchasing scheme. It also makes provision to ensure the safety of young people participating in such a scheme. These provisions bring the Act into line with the test purchasing provisions of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.