Two ‘spud guns’ seized from an Officer premises were found not to be firearms in a landmark case at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court in October.
Amanda Lewis faced charges of possessing unregistered Category E longarms and possessing firearms whilst a prohibited person after police found the two PVC pipe guns on New Years’ Eve, 2019.
The seized ‘spud gun’ was capable of being loaded with a potato or lemon, then fired by igniting hairspray with a sparkplug in the device’s combustion chamber.
A police ballistics expert said spuds could be fired at 130-140 metres a second – or 440 kilometres an hour. Much less than a bullet at 330 metres a second.
Category E longarms include machine guns, rifles, bazookas and rocket-propelled grenades, which are “inherently lethal”, however Mr Bryant was doubtful that homemade PVC devices were envisaged in the same category.
Mr Bryant concluded the ‘spud guns’ – also known as ‘veggie cannons’, ‘fruit cannons’ and ‘lemon bazookas’ – were not firearms under the Act.
His deliberation referenced military general Hannibal, Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson and comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
He dismissed the charges, but stated his decision “should not be interpreted as a green light for the citizens of Victoria to arm themselves with these types of devices for any purpose.”
