Gel blaster charge

LEGAL REQUIREMENT: Gel blasters must be registered as firearms in South Australia. FILE IMAGE

A MILLICENT man will face court after being found in possession of an unregistered gel blaster firearm.

Police discovered the firearm while undertaking inquiries at a Millicent property last week, reporting a 53-year-old man for the offence.

South Australian Police Officer in Charge of Firearms Branch Superintendent Billy Thompson said gel blaster firearms were defined as a Category A paint-ball firearm and people who have them need to get an appropriate firearms licence and then get the guns registered.

“Gel blaster firearms owners had six months to get their license and get their gel blaster firearms registered to ensure they were complying with the new rules,” Supt Thompson said.

Supt Thompson encouraged South Australians to surrender unregistered gel blasters to a police station or participating firearms dealer as part of the ongoing Crime Stoppers Australia permanent national firearms amnesty.

The amnesty, launched July 1, allows people who have an unregistered firearm or firearm-related item to surrender it anonymously and without penalty, for registration, sale or destruction.

The previous national firearms amnesty, held over a three-month period in 2017, resulted in over 57,000 firearms being handed in across Australia.

Visit www.crimestoppers.com.au/firearmamnesty for more information.