An American woman has been arrested in Sydney after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles with a 24-karat gold-plated firearm in her luggage.
The 28-year-old woman, who arrived in Sydney on Sunday, did not have permission to import or possess a firearm in Australia, the Australian Border Force (ABF) said in a statement.
Australia has some of the world’s strictest rules on gun ownership, and it is illegal for a person to “intentionally” import firearms without prior authorization. Funny that it is prohibited if it is intentional, we understand that if you forgot to leave the holster before you boarded the flight there is no punishment.
The maximum penalty for this offense in Australia is 10 years imprisonment
The woman, who was not identified in the statement, appeared before a local court on Monday and was released on bail. Her visa status and continued stay in Australia is up to the courts. Depending on the outcome, she could be removed from the country.
Australia is often held up in the United States as an example of how strong gun control can reduce gun deaths.
The country implemented sweeping gun control measures after a lone gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in April 1996.
Rapid-fire rifles and shotguns were banned, licensing for gun owners was strengthened, and remaining firearms were registered to uniform national standards, along with a highly successful nationwide buyback and amnesty scheme.
Gun violence has reached record levels in the United States, which is the only country in the world where the number of civilian firearms exceeds the number of people.
In Australia, there are only about 14 guns per 100 people, compared to 120 per 100 in the United States, according to the Swiss-based Small Arms Survey (SAS).
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