Gel blaster club defends replicas
‘They’re just toys’ say members as police voice concern
THE booming popularity of gel blaster replica firearms has proved a challenge for Queensland law makers but despite police concerns a local Cairns group insists the guns are just “toys”.
On August 25 police responded to an emergency call from a member of the public who made a report of “armed men” walking down a Woree street.
Cairns Gel Blaster Club president Simon White said club members were taking part in a charity fundraiser run in accordance with Queensland gel blaster laws.
But he said members of the club had left the area by the time police arrived.
Queensland and South Australia are the only two remaining states where the sale and use of gel blasters are legal however their use is strictly controlled.
Mr White said members of the club were encouraged to use gel blasters responsibly and adhere to the law.
However Mr White said there was a rogue element in the wider gel blaster community.
“You can’t filter out stupid. In every sport you are going to get a ratbag that pokes a blaster in someone’s eye or does the wrong thing,” he said.
“Our view is to give people a place to play but also public awareness that we are not all dickh--ds.”
Mr White said he understood the wider concern about the use of replica assault rifles but insisted they were a safe and a fun way to get people active and involved in the sport.
“They do look real, that’s why they should be kept out of the public eye.
“Each week I repeat the same thing with my members’: blasters should remain hidden … and I don’t allow my members to wear tactical gear because that may cause alarm.
“These are toys, they are not a firearm and not covered by firearm legislation per se.”
Inspector Monique Ralph of the Cairns Police, aware of the activities of the club, said she got a sense the club was doing the right thing but however harmless the intent, any replica firearm could easily be mistaken for the real thing.
“People are going to be concerned.
“The first thing they look at, they are just looking at what it is, they are not looking at whether it’s real or fake,” she said.
“People don’t look for exactly what it is, they see something and make an association.
“They look at something and they see what they see. They don’t stop and reason and try and identify it 100 per cent.
“I completely see why people are concerned.”
The toys available as hand guns, shotguns and assault rifles shoot small water-filled gel balls,
Carrying them in public or pointing them at another person without permission can be classed as an offence under the Weapons Act.
Carrying an unconcealed gel blaster in public could mean two years imprisonment.