Cops crack down on gel blasters

As of Thursday, gel blasters will need to be declared as a regulated imitation firearm and can only be used at paintball facilities.

The changes mean it will be illegal to possess an unregistered gel blaster or have one without a licence, and will see the sale and possession regulated.

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Gel blaster owners will need to register their firearm and get a licence within six months, otherwise they must surrender the firearm to police.

The minimum age for a licence is 18.

A person who deals, owns or possesses a gel blaster without the appropriate permit could be committing a crime under the Firearms Act 2015 and Firearms Regulations 2017 and may face prosecution.

Firearms officer Stephen Howard said SA Police were using the same rules that governed paintball to regulate gel blasters.

“The firing mechanism in a gel blaster compresses air to fire a projectile and therefore meets the threshold test to be defined as a firearm,” Superintendent Howard said.

“A gel blaster can easily be mistaken for a real firearm, with potential to cause concern in the community and trigger a police response that could involve the use of police firearms, or other tactical options.

“They’re a non-lethal firearm like paintball. However, they will cause an injury and are sold with safety glasses and you could threaten someone with a gel blaster.”

He said SA Police received more than 180 reports that caused concern over the past two years.

The organisation estimates there are more than 62,000 circulating across the state.

“We recently saw someone pointed a gel blaster at someone travelling at high speed on a highway. If that person took evasive action, that had potential to lead to a fatality or serious injuries,” Superintendent Howard said.

“We’ve had reports of people being shot and little children being shot at a playground, people threatened while going about their normal work, (like) consul operations, service stations, shopping centres.

“That was the most concerning, when two adult men turned up in a car and shot a 10-year-old girl with a gel blaster and hit her in the head (last year). I don’t think we apprehended them but it’s very traumatic for that child.”

Superintendent Howard said a number of additions could be made to gel blasters to increase the velocity and projectile accuracy.

“They have evolved … (Some) are made with alloy and steel. It’s these improvements which make them more dangerous and concerning from our perspective and the additions and improvements can be done by anyone — there are lots of videos on YouTube.”

Last month, a man was arrested for allegedly pointing a gel blaster at a driver during a road rage incident near Port Pirie.

SA Police allege three people in a Toyota sedan abused the victim and his passengers while allegedly driving aggressively on the Augusta Highway at Bungama.

The 28-year-old Whyalla man was in the front passenger seat when he allegedly pointed the gel blaster rifle in the victim’s direction.

He was charged with aggravated assault and bailed to appear in the Port Pirie Magistrates Court on November 30.

Back in June, 18-year-old Brandon Agostino faced Adelaide Magistrates Court after he was accused of firing a high-powered gel blaster at people as he drove past them in a car, leaving them in need of medical attention.

SA Police said Mr Agostino shot three pedestrians with gel pellets in the space of 10 minutes at Northgate and Lightsview in May.

He was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon and was remanded on bail to face court again in September.

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