Bossley Park man Elias Tashman sold ‘guns’ at his garage sale
A garage sale with a difference has landed a Western Sydney man in hot water, after police found 16 replica firearms at his suburban street stall.
NSW
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It was just a regular Western Sydney garage sale — until someone called the cops after discovering a table full of guns.
That’s what happened when Bossley Park man Elias Tashman, 27, had a garage sale on December 21, according to documents tendered in court.
Tashman’s family were hosting a garage sale outside their home on Lyell Ave when an anonymous caller reported that “firearms that looked real were being sold”, a police fact sheet tendered to court said.
When police arrived at 2.30pm, a woman invited them into the garage and showed them a table displaying 16 replica firearms for sale for between $5 and $35.
Under NSW law, sales of replica firearms are heavily restricted because they could be used in robberies or similar threatening situations.
Mr Tashman was charged with 18 offences as a result, including multiple counts of possessing an unauthorised pistol, possessing ammunition without a permit and not storing a firearm safely.
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The police fact sheet said: “All items within the garage … possessed varying degrees of realism to a real firearm”.
According to the fact sheet, Tashman approached police and said: “They are mine, they are just toys.” And added: “I purchased them in Japan.”
Testing by police revealed six of the firearms could fire ball bearings. Police seized the imitation weapons.
On April 9, Tashman was charged with 18 offences.
However, when the matter went to Fairfield Local Court on Tuesday, that was reduced to one charge of possessing an unregistered firearm, to which Tashman pleaded guilty.
His lawyer Omar Juweinat told the court: “The facts clearly capture this man’s naivety. He clearly took the view that these were toys.”
The police prosecutor told the court the imitation guns posed a significant risk to society. Magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis placed Tashman on a conditional release order and did not record a conviction.