Clown from US Arrested with Pistol at Sydney Airport

On April 23, 2023, in the airport at Sidney, Australia, a heavily tattooed and pierced non-binary person known as Liliana Goodson failed to declare a 1911 A1 type pistol in her “hand luggage“.  Hand luggage is what Australians call carry-on bags.  Liliana has been reported as planning to attend a clown school in Australia.

Liliana’s preferred pronouns have been “they/them,” but she has also been referred to by her Australian lawyer as she/her.  According to news.com.au:

A heavily tattooed American traveller is fighting to be released from jail after she was allegedly busted trying to smuggle a 24-karat gold-plated pistol into Australia in her hand luggage.

Liliana Goodson was arrested on April 23 after Australian Border Force officials claim they found a handgun hidden in her hand luggage when she touched down in Sydney.

An X-ray machine at Sydney Airport allegedly detected the golden gun inside Ms Goodson’s hand luggage after she flew into the country from Los Angeles.

Liliana gave conflicting stories about how the pistol was in her bag. She spent about a week in an Australian jail before being allowed out on bail. This correspondent wonders about security at the Los Angeles Airport. If the pistol was in her carry-on, as indicated, it slipped through security in Los Angeles without being noticed.  This source claims the ammunition in Liliana’s luggage was the wrong caliber for the .45 Auto.

According to a submission from her lawyer, Goodson had been paranoid when she packed the gun due in part to self-medication with synthetic cannabis; she had also attempted to ship 50 rounds of ammunition, though not of the correct size.

When this correspondent arrived at Sidney Airport, on several occasions, the professionalism of the Australian Customs officers was obvious and refreshing. The Sidney airport is well designed and lovely, a significant counterpoint to the Los Angeles Airport.  When Customs asked this correspondent about his profession, the answer was “writer.” Then, he was asked what he wrote about. The answer was “guns”. This resulted in another pointed question: Did you bring any with you? The answer was, “No. I have read the Australian gun laws.”.

With Ms. Goodson, the answer was different. From dailymail.co.uk:

Goodson had searched online whether she was allowed to bring the weapon into Australia, despite telling officers at the time she forgot she had it with her.

When asked at the airport if she was carrying any prohibited items with her Goodson claimed she was not, the court was told.

‘What about the gun in your bag?’ she was asked by a customs officer.

Goodson replied: ‘Oh yeah, I forgot about that.’

Contradictory answers, the claim of using multiple illegal drugs while making transportation decisions, and eventually pleading guilty to illegal importation resulted in a one-year sentence on December 9, 2024. Liliana has been reported as 29 when she was sentenced. With good behavior, she is expected to spend four months in actual incarceration.

If Ms Goodson only wanted a weapon to scare people with, she might have brought a cheap, non-firing replica for a hundred dollars instead of a high-dollar real 1911A1.  Non-firing replicas are also illegal to import into Australia.

Goodson is reported as saying she had a permit for the firearm in Alabama.  This correspondent has not been able to determine at which airport Ms Goodson entered the sterile area with the carry-on luggage containing the pistol.

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 retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.