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Australia has some of the world’s most extreme gun regulations. Even so, by jumping through a great many hoops, carefully filling out the right forms over several months, you can own and use a significant number of firearms. The regulations are a wish list of most of those proposed by gun hating activists from around the world.

They were rushed through the Australian political machine with amazing speed. The trigger event was the Port Arthur massacre. The process was aided by a fully cheering Australian media and the Prime Minister, who openly hated guns.

I reviewed the regulations over time. Some are simply baffling.

What is the point of including BB guns in the same class as shotguns? Why are airgun pistols placed in the same category as .357 magnum revolvers? Why are many types of slingshots are illegal?

Why, after an applicant has filled out all the paperwork, and gotten all the permissions to own a gun, do they have to wait a minimum of 28 days to pick it up? (If they purchase another gun, they have to wait another 28 days.)

And why are non-firing replica guns treated the same as real guns? Despite this, it’s not hard to get a hold of a replica gun in the Land Down Under, as noted in this article:

Getting a gun replica sent directly to your door isn’t difficult — but you will be breaking the law and the risk probably isn’t worth it. The maximum penalty for importing imitation firearms without import approval is currently $275,000 and/or imprisonment for 10 years.

Here is the definition of an imitation firearm, from the nsw.gov.au

An imitation firearm is defined in section 4D of the Act as an object that,  regardless of its colour, weight or composition or the presence or absence of any moveable parts, substantially duplicates in appearance a firearm but that is not a firearm. An imitation firearm does not include anything that is produced and identified as a children’s toy.

Carve a wooden pistol that looks real, and you have committed a felony that can land you in jail for years. As Australian Sicen Sun found out. From 9news.com.au:

A 27-year-old Sydney man on Tuesday became the first person in NSW to be charged with possessing blueprints to manufacture firearms after detectives raided his Bronte apartment.

Sicen Sun was granted bail on Wednesday after Waverley Local Court heard he was “something of a fanboy” who allegedly made the guns to resemble those in TV shows and games like NCIS and Call of Duty.

But Detective Inspector Joe Doueihi, of State Crime Command’s Firearms Squad, said imitation firearms were treated just the same as the real thing under the law.

“He just took it that extra step,” Det Doueihi told reporters in Parramatta.

“That’s no defence in the current law, he’s committed a serious criminal offence and that’s why he’s before the court.”

The detective said Sun faces maximum sentences of 20 years for manufacturing a firearm and 14 for possessing the blueprints.

But Mr. Sun did not just possess 3D printed imitations. He also had air pistols!
From yahoo.com:

Police located and seized four imitation pistols, including a 3D-manufactured small Glock, a 3D-manufactured Glock, a 3D-manufactured Sig 250; two air pistols, computer equipment, and two 3D printers.

As RF would say, this is what happens to a disarmed populace.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch

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39 COMMENTS

  1. Boy isn’t that typical of Australia anti-gun Ville. Typical liberal progressives give a guy 15 years for murder in Australia and 20 years for making a plastic toy gun on a 3D printer give me a freakin break so glad I don’t live there. Here’s a question for you all stralia how’s your violent crime rate doing ever since you and acted all these bands on firearms and I guess now toy plastic 3D printed guns taking a real bite Outta crime aren’t you? LOL what a joke

  2. “An imitation firearm is defined in section 4D of the Act as an object that, regardless of its colour, weight or composition or the presence or absence of any moveable parts, substantially duplicates in appearance a firearm but that is not a firearm.”

    How the @#$% does an ‘imitation firearm’ substantially duplicate the appearance of a firearm “regardless of its coloUr, weight or composition?”

    “An imitation firearm does not include anything that is produced and identified as a children’s toy.”
    So you can have something that exactly matches a firearm as long as you put “children’s toy” on the packaging???

  3. Might as well make the real thing Kiwiboy…isn’t 20 years kinda’ what you get for felony murder down under?!?

  4. “Man sentenced to 20 years for printing…”

    We’re sure in a retrograde orbit these days, aren’t we, punishing those who dare to practice to forbidden knowledge?

  5. “What is the point of including BB guns in the same class as shotguns?”

    Dean, wasn’t there an early shotgun load called ‘BB shot’?

    ‘BB’ being the size of the pellets, IIRC, and early BB guns used that size shot…

    • BB is a shot size. in the US it is 0.177.

      The size names are older and I “think” there was originally a “bulleted-breech” load for gallery guns popular at the time.

      Folks used to shoot these guns indoors – parlor pistols.

      There are some 22 versions today that fire round or conical bullets are sub-sonic speeds.

      They are much lighter projectiles than the standard 22 short. Aquilla makes one called the Colibri in a 22 LR case using only the primer to propel the bullet.

      These shoot through my handguns but often don’t make it out of my Winchester Boy’s Rifle.

  6. President Trump should announce immediately that the United States of America will no longer be committed to defending nations which deny to their own citizens the right to keep and bear modern, individually operated small arms.

    • I gotta ask louis…. why the arrow cross party emblem? They murdered like 20,000 hungarian jews for the nazi’s in WW2? If they mudered like 6 million, it would hold the same weight as the swastika, hammer and sickle, chicom gold star banner, etc… but still, 20,000 dude.

      • Because fascism is popular again in Europe. While supporters of that vile ideology can’t use symbols like the swastika or the hammer and sickle openly as that would remind the world of what they truly stand for, the less known symbols of the various smaller local organizations that collaborated with the Nazis are easier to dress up in a “patriotic” narrative and try to pass them off as something other than what they really are.

  7. Why not start a campaign and send cheap airsoft replica hand guns via the mail to every Politician/Reporter/etc.. in Australia. Track the package and as soon as it is delivered call in an anonymous tip to the local PD. And watch the mayhem ensue.

  8. This does not surprise me, I had to hold a license for body-armor, I was required to sign it out at the start of each shift and sign it back in when I got off duty, the government issued book for said sign in/out cost $75 at the time. I went through two different licenses and was about to go through a third before I left Australia for the US ……………… don’t quite recall was happened to said body-armor.

  9. New Jersey is almost as bad as Australia in terms of gun regulations. New Jersey law makes no distinction between BB guns and actual firearms.

  10. It’s not all doom and gloom in Australia.

    My last firearm purchase in February this year was 5 days from ordering to being at the range. Half the time of California

    I don’t live in NSW which was anti gun before the “buyback”

    As I have stated many times here I DON’T like current firearm laws but unless your a criminal there are no problems with ownership.

    The number of legal firearms is now more than before the bans and the number of owners is going up about 10% a year. I took 5 new people to range last year.

    • My issues with the Australian gun laws have always been the issue of self defense. And the fact you can’t own anything really cool, like say a FN 249S PARA, can’t carry concealed etc, etc, etc……….

  11. The Ausholes running their government have even made it a felony to download or possess any digital image of a firearm that could be used to create a 3-D printed gun. Download a Fosscad Mega Pack in Australia, and you’ll be facing a kangaroo court…

    • Secure encryption.

      Hey, TTAGers, whats a good encryption algorithm these days, is PGP still good?

      “Download a Fosscad Mega Pack in Australia, and you’ll be facing a kangaroo court…”

      Wait a second, a kangaroo court in Australia?

      *snicker* 🙂

  12. Remember police world wide always start with the maximum to make it look good in the media. The last case I can remember of similar the fine was $180 less than a speeding ticket.

    I still miss being able to walk in and walk out without any checks at all like I did when I was 16

    • My concern regards what will happen to him when he tries to get a job later on? Even if he only gets a small portion of the sentence, or if it is suspended (Canadian term for a form of probation, I’m not sure what the equivalent is in the Australian state he resides in), it will still show up as having happened. This could be a significant harm to his chance of making a decent living.

  13. Dean

    Labour government brought in “lifetime” licences in 1991. Until then if you were 17 buy whatever you could afford. I was buying ammunition at 14 without any problems.

    Within five five years Port Arthur massacre happened and they became 5 year licenses.

    Queensland offers 5 or 10 year license and you do not have to be a gun club member but need letter from land owner saying you can hunt on his land and some other exemptions.

    NSW seems to be anti most things but is very friendly to hunters with large part of the forest department running hunting education and how to hunt in forest courses.

  14. … charged with possessing blueprints to manufacture firearms …

    Thought police are alive and well in Australia. Thank FSM I live in the United States.

  15. What got Sicen Sun unstuck was that he advertised the replicas for sale online, and this is what attracted the attention of the police.

    What an idiot! (Double face-palm)

    And as for the 28 day cooling off period with purchases, in reality it was closer to 6-8 weeks. You would have to call firearms registry who would post the forms to you (2-3 days). You would complete the form, and give reason for a category B if necessary, put your credit card details on the form and return by post (another 2-3 days because the firearms registry is located in the rural north coast of NSW). The cost was $30 from memory.

    The credit card would be charged immediately but the form will be added to the pile. The 28 day waiting period is actually 28 WORKING DAYS which can be really 5-6 weeks in normal time. The approval (or rare rejection) was then posted back to you (another 2-3 days). You now had a valid permit-to-acquire that lasted for 90 days.

    So all up, 2 months was considered normal, so it put a stop to impulse buys.

    I haven’t requested a form for years but friends tell me the new online process is much faster.

    I wondered why I have a waiting period when I already have a number of usable guns and the waiting period is like the TSA, security theater. I can understand if you are a first time buyer or you are upgrading your license from category A only to include category B or H, or others. But if I already have a number of category B firearms, why the imposed inconvenience?

    I know people who always had a permit-to-acquire on hand because it was a good bargaining chip when buying and could result in a discount more than the cost of several forms. I would used the delay to select and pay a deposit on a rifle and pick up when I had the approval. At least it spread the costs over a few months.

    • I believe the purpose is to add to the difficulty of purchasing guns. The intention is to gradually decrease the percentage of gun owners, as happened in England.

      It has not worked in Australia.

      • That plan seems to have failed everywhere it was tried, and they certainly tried hard. It didn’t work in Canada,either. Maybe part of the reason it failed was all the hoops we have to jump through in our regular life. What’s an extra hoop to someone already jumping over and over again? That’s especially for something important like ownership of firearms. So, we see an increase in firearms ownership.

  16. Southern
    Online system in Qld took 5 days for my last rifle in February.
    NSW dealers tell me police there still use paper system.

    Would still prefer pre 90’s walk in and buy anything era

  17. We should send the Texas National Guard to “liberate” those citizens from their “oppressive” government. I don’t think it would take much…

    • To hear a good part of them on youtube talk, there is nothing to be liberated from, and they love being limited in their defense and wouldn’t have it any other way. They even like to claim they can buy any gun they want, but we know better.

  18. Just got my most recent permit online in about 15 minutes in Victoria Australia, the Nanny State.

    First time licensees/buyers for Cat A or B firearm is 28 days——
    then Category A – shotgun (not being a self loader or pump) or Category B – rifle (again not being a self loader or pump) permits on line run anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours.

    Yes we know the laws suck— we are fighting them contrary to popular belief….

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