Another setback for the Gel Ball and Airsofting community in Australia as Western Australia is set to classify Gel Blasters as “prohibited weapons” starting July 3. According to ABC, Western Australia Police Minister Paul Papilia that this ban is being put into place as they look very similar to real firearms.

In the news report the Police are having a hard time are “hard pressed” to spot the differences between gel blasters and real steel guns, leading to incidents that have triggered a significant police response. There have been 147 call outs related gel blaster incidents last year.

One of the serious incidents that took place was the standoff at a pharmacy in Applecross, located in the southern suburb of Perth, last 1 April. The robber armed with a toy gun holed himself up for four hours before being apprehended. Another incident is a group of men with gel blasters apprehended for playing in Perth suburb of Ellenbrook on 12 May.

For owners who fail to turn over their gel blasters to the police after July 3, they face penalties such as up to three years in jail and a fine of up to AU$36,000. A buy back scheme which usually is implemented during an amnesty is yet to be announced.

In the same ABC report, the most organised Airsoft and Gel Ball organisation in Australia, the Western Australia, Airsoft and Gel Ball Club (WAAGBC), gave their reaction, with chair Laurentiu Zamfirescu saying that the news was "shocking to the industry" because organised gel blaster competitions were great family fun. "It is the friendships we're losing," he said, also adding that, "It is the great moments of fun and excitement that we're losing."

At the organisation’s Facebook page, they put out a statement that they, “will continue lobbying and preparing for when the consultation on the amendment of the Firearms Act comes. This is a critical moment when the entire community needs to come together. WE WILL NEED YOUR SUPPORT! You’ve had a taste of this great sport and now Government is taking it away from you without consultation. We discussed with the Minister the possibility of doing a similar arrangement as South Australia did when they restricted possession of Gel Blasters to licensed firearms owners, however this proposition was rejected for the time being.”

Gel blasters are not illegal in Queensland, but it is an offence to shoot someone with a gel blaster without his/her permission. In South Australia, gel blaster owners will need to get a licence and register their blasters to keep on using them.

For the airsoft community around the world, the Australian airsoft and gel ball communities will need your support more than ever.

Top photo: Screen grab of the WA Police livestream on gel blasters on Facebook (credit: WA Police)