Ivan Saric charged with having a loaded unregistered firearm in Mullumbimby

A loaded, unregistered rifle was found in the roof cavity of the home of a Mullumbimby man with a history of domestic violence and sovereign citizen ideologies.

Ivan Saric, 63, pleaded guilty at Mullumbimby Court on February 8 2023 to possessing an air rifle, not registering the firearm, not taking safety precautions as the firearm was loaded and possessing ammunition for the air rifle.

Police found a loaded, unregistered air rifle wrapped in bubble wrap in the roof cavity of a Mullumbimby home.

Ivan Saric, 63, pleaded guilty at Mullumbimby Local Court on Wednesday to having an unregistered loaded air rifle stored unsafely.

Police found the weapon when searching the retired man’s Mullumbimby home on January 9 as part of an apprehended violence order condition.

“In the roof cavity, they located a Benjamin Franklin air rifle which was wrapped in red cloth and bubble wrap along with six containers filled with pallets for the air rifle,” police documents state.

When officers arrested him, he said, “What? The air rifle in the roof? That was my brother’s and has been in the family for 50 years. You have to be kidding me.”

Ivan Saric, 63, pleaded guilty at Mullumbimby Local Court to firearms offences.

In court, Saric said a series of unfortunate events led to the rifle being found.

“It’s been out of sight and out of mind, I haven’t used it in 30 years,” Saric said.

“I have a non-supportive wife … everything is falling apart.”

Saric told police he had owned the rifle for 38 years and it had been in the family for 52 years.

He said it was loaded “as a preventive measure to preserve the rubber seal”.

The court heard Saric had displayed sovereign citizen ideologies in the past.

Police told a court Ivan Saric, 63, had previously held sovereign citizen beliefs. Picture: Trevor Veale

“Previously he launched a diatribe against the government, police and the courts stating they are corrupt and have no authority or illegitimate authority as they represented a corporation,” police documents state.

When he was charged with common assault in a domestic violence setting in September 2021, he told the magistrate “the corrupt processes are the reasons why people snap and do terrible things”.

Magistrate Karen Stafford on Wednesday asked if Saric still had those ideologies and he said he did not.

Ms Stafford said the entire point of firearm registration was to ensure authorities could track people with firearms, even air rifles.

“Especially in a house with previous domestic violence offences as it’s a risk to the people in the house and to the community,” Ms Stafford said.

“The registration of firearm owners is very important for public safety.”

Ivan Saric was sentenced to a nine-month community corrections order and has been fined $300 for possessing the ammunition.