There needs to be stricter laws on using gel blasters

SO THERE’S now two reported incidents of gel blasters aimed at people. It makes one bristle at the thought of anyone’s eyes being damaged in any way.

Gel blasters used in incident where woman was shot in stomach from passing car on North St, Rockville . Wednesday, 15th May, 2019. Picture: Nev Madsen

SO THERE'S now two reported incidents in The Chronicle of gel blasters aimed at people.

It makes one bristle at the thought of anyone's eyes being damaged in any way.

S.A. police announced: "Individuals could face other charges such as assault, making unlawful threats, or creating false belief." Suggested changes to legislation there might yet double aggravated assault charges to four years for if done with a gel blaster.

Other states have appearance-based firearms legislation, so if something looks like a firearm, it's deemed to be a firearm.

If you want to see sickening rationalisation, promoters and commentators on YouTube describe them as just a harmless toy, (note how none are pink/blue!) but few readers of the latest news would have sympathy for such users in public even "creating a false belief" and were "appropriately treated" by police or even shot.

Slingshots have such a variety of legal conditions in Oz, and it's bad enough they are being used in public causing property damage, but are instantly recognisable as, unlike a gun as you could get.

Such Oz legislative inconsistency applies to gel blasters, but hopefully the probable copycat actions causing public personal injury by these replica weapons will be stomped on heavily by our police before someone loses an eye.

F. EARLEY, Toowoomba

Originally published as There needs to be stricter laws on using gel blasters