Gel blaster rules tighten as Nick Dametto slams State Government
A new gel blaster shop has opened in Townsville just as stricter laws were passed by the State Government. The new regulations have been slammed by MP Nick Dametto.
Townsville
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A new gel blaster shop has opened in Townsville just as stricter laws were passed, requiring owners to lock up their blasters.
M4A1 Gel Blaster opened on Duckworth St in Garbutt and is the 17th store to open across the country.
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Owner Nic Judge said there was a huge appeal for gel blasters, toys which shoot gel balls used in war games, in Townsville.
“Mums and dads, pretty much everyone loves gel blasters. The reason we opened in Townsville is our online store sells an awful lot of stock in Townsville,” he said.
“It’s a natural thing, we used to live in caves and run around with clubs and spears, it’s in our DNA to always have these items.
“Kids run around playing war games with sticks or their fingers. Toy guns are just ingrained in our personalities.”
The new store stocks a range of blasters ranging from $10 to $549, clothing and protective gear. There is also a shooting range, where people can test fire new blasters.
Mr Judge reiterated people buying gel blasters, which often looked realistic, needed to carry them around responsibly in a bag and not in a threatening way.
“It’s not in our interest to have idiots walk around with gel blasters in plain sight,” he said.
“Nobody has ever died from a gel blaster, and nobody will ever die from a gel blaster.”
The Queensland Government passed tighter restrictions on replica weapons on Thursday, with a spate of recent police incidents allegedly involving gel blasters prompting the decision.
In two years, officers have responded to 352 crimes involving gel blasters and 85 charges have been laid.
Under the new laws gel blasters cannot be visible in public, should be locked away when not being used, and people must have a reasonable excuse to have one - like being part of a replica gun club.
Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto condemned the regulations in a fiery speech to parliament on Thursday night.
“Real crime is wreaking havoc throughout the seat of Hinchinbrook and parts of Townsville. The problem is that youth offenders are running around in stolen cars night in and night out, yet here we are taking away the opportunity for little Johnny and little Sarah to use their gel blasters,” Mr Dametto said.
“Once again, the government is going soft on crime yet going hard on toys because it is the low-hanging fruit.
“These are toys. They should be thrown in the toy box alongside the other toys, not locked up like firearms owned by someone with a weapons licence. What is next? Are we going to include water pistols in this regulation as well? They shoot a projectile. Are we going to ban rubber band guns being sold at local markets?
“There have been some absolute tools who have gone out in public with gel blasters and they are the people who have caused a problem, but at the same time we do not have to pander to a couple of people who felt offended by seeing something that looked real out in the public space.
“Any police officer who has gone through proper weapons training would be able to tell the difference between a plastic gun and a real gun from about 15 or 20 metres out.
“We are heading into a situation here where it is a slippery slope and we are taking away people’s rights. I will not stand for it.”
Originally published as Gel blaster rules tighten as Nick Dametto slams State Government