A former Whitehorse gun-runner has been jailed after smuggling military-grade machine guns
A GUN-RUNNER who grew up in Whitehorse has been jailed for more than a decade for illegally importing “truly terrifying” military-grade machine guns.
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A GUN-RUNNER who grew up in Whitehorse has been jailed for more than a decade for illegally importing “truly terrifying” military-grade machine guns.
Paul Munro, 64, was sentenced in Victoria’s County Court to at least six years behind bars after smuggling fully automatic machine guns and semi-automatic handgun parts into the country between 2013 and 2016. And while police have seized seven of the 12 Thureon high-powered weapons Munro imported, 39 guns and parts are yet to be recovered, including five fully automatic rifles.
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According to court documents, Munro, who grew up in Nunawading and went to Forest Hill Primary School and Nunawading High School, trafficked the “military hardware” into the country hidden in a wooden crate full of engine parts, with a false bottom.
Munro pleaded guilty to four charges of illegally importing and two counts of attempting to import and traffic firearms and gun parts.
The former mechanic and car importer travelled to the US and met with gun manufacturer Thureon Defence owner Andy Huebschmann, from whom he ordered the weapons.
In 2013, Munro ordered six assault rifle kits, which included modifications to convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machine guns.
Then in 2015 he asked for another six kits and 30 semi-automatic hand gun frames.
In court documents, Judge Douglas Trapnell said a fully automatic Thureon assault rifle could fire up to 1000 rounds a minute.
“The Thureon in full automatic mode is a truly terrifying weapon; a piece of military hardware clearly designed to kill humans in great numbers,” Judge Trapnell said.
Munro was arrested in Clifton Springs after organising to sell an assault rifle to an undercover police officer on August 30, 2016.
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