Gel blasters have been declared regulated imitation firearms in South Australia, requiring owners to obtain a firearms license within six months
The new regulations go into effect on Friday, with police estimating that around 62,000 of the blasters are circulating in the SA community
Police Firearms Branch Superintendent Stephen Howard says the firing mechanism has reached the threshold to define a firearm
« A gel gun can easily be mistaken for a real firearm, with the potential to raise concern in the community and trigger a police response that may involve the use of police firearms or other tactical options, ”said Superintendent Howard
Owners who do not wish to obtain a license can instead turn their blasters over to the police or a gun dealer as part of an amnesty to continue until April of next year
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State President Peter Heggie urged police to focus efforts on educating the public on their proper use
« These things are toys They can’t hurt anyone They can barely break a balloon let alone hurt or kill people, » he said
« Our position has always been that firearms should be regulated by how they function, not how they look
« There are already laws to threaten people with guns or assaults, and they are more than enough to deal with people doing stupid things like robbing gas stations or shooting gel bullets on pedestrians «
Gel blaster
World News – UA – « These are toys »: anger after South Australia decides to regulate gel blasters