By Dean Weingarten
Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- When I arrived in Australia, one of the first stories was about how the so called “sensible gun laws” were not so “sensible” for people in rural Australia.
I related the Donald Eykamp case about how interpretation of minor storage infractions lead to the confiscation of hundreds of thousands of dollars of highly collectible and historic firearms.
It appears that sort of abuse has lead to reform in the firearms law. The Eykamp case is in the process of appeal. A decision from the appeals court has been due any day for the last month.
The case has been in process since March 14, 2015. At that time, the law read that any guns found in violation of the safe storage laws had to be confiscated. Donald Eykamp paid about eighteen thousand dollars of fines, and about that much in lawyers fees.
On June 14th, 2016, the court ruled that the firearms should be turned over to a dealer, sold, and the proceeds given to Donald Eykamp.
The police appealed almost immediately, arguing that the judge did not have the authority to order the guns sold, and they must destroy the firearms. The appeal has been ongoing for more than a year.
In May, 2017, while the case was under appeal, the NSW government introduced a firearms reform bill that included a number of provisions. Several of those provisions involved reform of the enforcement of storage requirements.
The previous law required that when a person was found in violation of safe storage requirements, the firearms had to be confiscated. The reforms allowed the police to use some judgment and to levee a fine, similar to a traffic ticket, instead.
Other changes include removing the requirement for gun owners to attend court and face a fine and/or a jail sentence for breaches of storage requirements. Instead, police will be able to issue a penalty notice.
As well, police will no longer be required to seize improperly stored firearms and ammunition if they are “satisfied that the failure has been rectified or will be rectified without delay”.
The storage enforcement changes are a commonsense reform. They mean that minor violations of the law can be dealt with appropriately, rather than the draconian approach of mandatory confiscation. The Shooters and Fishers Party commented on the proposed changes:
Shooters and Fishers Party MLC Robert Borsak opposed the reclassification of lever action shotguns, but agreed that recording of addresses of people buying ammunition “only gives criminals a shopping list of where legally owned firearms are held”.
He said storage control changes were “a smarter way of handling compliance amongst licensed, law-abiding firearms owners”.
The proposed changes in the law passed Parliament in May. They should go into effect in November of 2017.
The Donald Eykamp case is the only one I know that challenged the police authority to decide the disposition of firearms in storage cases. A ruling is expected any day. Donald’s Barrister, Bruce Donnelly, says the case may set precedent.
I expect to write more about the case as developments occur and circumstances allow.
©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
I’m glad it is there rather than here. The Australians slept while the libs drop kicked them and they do not seem to have the gumption to make changes that are necessary to become freedom enjoying people again. So sad but their problem.
I used to want to visit Australia a long time ago when it was still a semi free nation – now that it is fully communist nation I will not buy anything from there nor will I ever visit.
I feel sorry for all the ones that still believe in freedom and right to self defense.
I feel the same way! It’s a shame that any country can do that to someone! I’d imagine most of the guns confiscated are shotguns and hunting rifles. That in itself is a reason to leave the country it should be cause for the USA to issue
asylum! I’d much rather take in gun loving God fearing folks than “muslim refugees”!