Gun owner may have to sell 35 firearms in a fire sale

A former New Norfolk man has been fined $25,000 after abandoning an “Aladdin’s cave” of guns and ammunition at his old address when he moved to Launceston.

Tony Charles Purton leaving Launceston Magistrates Court. Picture: Nick Clark

A former New Norfolk man left behind an Aladdin’s cave of guns, ammunition and reloading powder when he moved house, a Launceston magistrate said in sentencing.

Magistrate Simon Brown said Tony Charles Purton, 54, now of the Launceston suburb of Summerhill, had demonstrated an egregious dereliction of duty as a gun owner.

Purton pleaded guilty to numerous firearms charges on July 2, 2024.

The court heard that Purton was a registered owner of 35 firearms of which 11 were in his possession and 24 at gun dealers’ premises.

Purton was moving from New Norfolk, the registered address of his firearms licence, to Launceston when the offences occurred. He failed to advise authorities of the change.

“You had an utterly lackadaisical attitude towards your obligations,” Mr Brown said.

Mr Brown said that a police search of the Summerhill premises found 425 shotgun cartridges insecurely stored along with .223, .22, .270, and .222 ammunition.

“The total ammunition found more than 1000 rounds,” Mr Brown said.

He said police also searched Purton’s former New Norfolk premises on the same day which showed no sign of habitation.

Tony Charles Purton leaving Launceston Magistrates Court. Picture: Nick Clark

In a locked shipping container police found four gun safes containing 11 guns, of which one was unregistered, as well as eight kilograms of reloading powder, 8 trigger mechanisms and two rifle bolts.

Mr Brown said that there was no alarm system monitoring the property which Purton, as an electrician by trade, would have been equipped to install.

“In total at that property was 13 guns, 1600 rounds of ammunition, two silencers and 50 kilograms of reloading powder,” Mr Brown said.

“This is a serious breach of the relevant legislation.”

He said Purton had been a long term firearm licence holder and shooter so would have been aware of his obligations.

Mr Brown said Purton was likely to have his firearms licence cancelled and may be forced to divest in a fire sale which would cause him to suffer financial loss.

He said the breaches were serious and blatant.

“General deterrence is an important sentencing factor here, the community has an interest in safe storage because of the use of firearms by criminals,” Mr Brown said.

“The risks were high, there was a large amount of ammunition and guns not stored correctly in a property that was not occupied and not monitored.”

Mr Brown said he did not accepted a defence submission that Purton was at sixes and sevens because he was moving house.

“This was a high handed disregard of obligations,” he said.

“What is unusual in this case is the sheer scale of the breaches here,” he said.

Mr Brown imposed a fine of $25,000.

Charges were fail to notify change in particulars of licence, fail to comply with prescribed storage of firearms requirements, fail to comply with prescribed storage of ammunition requirements, fail to comply with prescribed storage of firearm part requirements, fail to comply with prescribed storage of firearms requirements (10 or more firearms), fail to comply with prescribed storage of ammunition requirements, two counts of fail to comply with prescribed storage of firearms requirements, possess a silencer, fail to comply with prescribed storage of firearm part requirements, fail to carry out restricted activities without a permit.

Originally published as Gun owner may have to sell 35 firearms in a fire sale