A WEST Australian man has gone public on the state’s draconian regulations that severely restrict firearm owneship.
Mandurah diesel mechanic and father-of-two Shaun Martin posted the photo (above) on social media fearing it might lead to harassment or intimidation, but felt it was important to speak out.
In late February this year the Western Australia Police Force classified him as “not a fit and proper person” under section 152 of the Firearms Act 2024 WA. That resulted in more than 10 officers coming to confiscate his legally owned rifles – despite having no criminal charges against him.
Shaun’s experience is not an isolated one. Numerous people across the state have had their firearm licences cancelled by police simply for suspicion under the Firearms Act 2024 and declared “not fit and proper persons”.
“My friend just had his (guns) taken too,” said Donna Ware. “They reckon they found a bullet on top of his wardrobe that didn’t belong to any of his guns. They refused to show him the so-called bullet. It is a load of shit. I hope you appeal it. What was probable cause for confiscation?”
“I’ve been a licensed firearm owner since I was 18, and as many of you know, shooting is my passion,” says Shaun.
“I recently started working as a professional shooter, earning money doing what I love. My rifles have never posed a threat to anyone, so it’s bewildering to see such resources directed at me.”
Shaun told social media followers that they should take a moment to reflect on the direction Australia is heading and we at Cairns News agree.
“First, it’s firearms. Then fishing, next it could be four-wheel driving, camping—who knows what else? You might think it doesn’t affect you yet, but these changes impact all of us. We risk losing our way of life, piece by piece.
“Stand together with your mates and stick up for what’s right, otherwise it will be a grim future for our following generations.”
Shaun says the officers who attended his property where polite and respectful, as if “just doing their job”.
He said he was absolutely shocked at how much this has blown up as he thought he was only posting to friends and family.
“Without going into too many details the not a fit and proper person accusation seems to be a hot topic,” he said. Cairns News previously reported on this when WA police did a series of raids against other people deemed “not fit and proper”.
“Long story short, I spent my teenage and early 20s in a small town and was allegedly seen and grew up with people not liked by the police. Being a small town it’s extremely likely to run in to someone out and about.”
Shaun moved away about 10 years ago and has since started a business and a family. He says he has no criminal record past, present or wiped. “I have had absolutely zero charges or major dealings with the police before this,” he says.
“I’m a family man and a small business owner. I pride myself on my reputation and my beautiful family.”
He said the point of his social media post was to raise awareness around the overreach of power clearly displayed in front of us all.
“To be classed as ‘not a fit and proper person’ because you allegedly hung out and or spoke to someone in your early 20s is absolutely disgusting.
“I’m human, definitely not perfect but giving it my all, so before judging me please remember: He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone.”
Cairns News has emailed Shaun seeking further information on his situation with the firearms.
A formal appeal and review process is available under Part 9 of the Firearms Act 2024 (WA). If the WA Police Force makes an adverse decision against firearm owners, they have the right to challenge it.
However this appeal must happen within 28 days of the police action and involves appearing before the State Administrative Tribunal of WA (SAT).
Police must also issue a formal written notice under Section 413 of the Act, and the notice must clearly state: (i) The relevant time limits to lodge a challenge; (ii) The exact grounds and reasons for their decision; (iii) The firearm owner’s explicit right to seek a review of that decision.
However, this process is obviously going to involve time preparing character witnesses and probably the cost of a lawyer as well.
A lone punter fronting up up to the tribunal protesting how unfair it all is and saying “I’m not a bad bloke” is unlikely to cut it with a hostile police prosecutor and a bench looking for some hard written or in-person character evidence.
Well Bernie, there is a better way to do everything, and these ICE agents seem to be no better than
Terrorists. (Remember Covid ‘cops’?). We never want to see that in Australia ever again.
Most of the illegals are decent working people and contribute to America.
And many have been taken while in the process of becoming legal. And children are watching the violence as their father is grabbed and hauled away. Hate breeds hate.
Now they have high school kids out picking fruit when they should be studying, because the workers have gone. And many were legal, but that doesn’t matter because they have a quota.
Say yes to this behaviour over there and it leaves you with nothing to complain about when it happens here -again.
To the keyboard warrior, the (N)ICE agents are getting rid of the illegal criminals. You know the ones that committed the crime of entering the US illegally, or does that not matter?
The good news is that this guy is not alone. The bad news is I have just counted thirty one (31) applications currently before the SATanic tribunal in Perth. All these people are appealing a decision by the Commissioner of Police under section 335 of the Firearms Act 2024. These applications have been lodged since 1st June 2026. I have no idea how many have been lodged before this date. All these applications are listed as “Matter still before the Tribunal”.
So Trump is a ‘warrior’? rotf OMG, run and hide, folks! We haven’t got a chance. The world has gone into fiction mode. Someone with Trump’s history and Roy Cohn’s mentorship is fighting for the little man? Yeah, right, 2+2 = 22.
Wow Vanessa. That was a whole lot of hate. And you seem to be a believer!!!
It seems a strange thing today, that if you even scratch someone, they bleed hate.
No wonder wars start.
In reply, I would just say ‘OPEN YOUR EYES’.
Keyboard Warrior, what you say , makes no sense or hits the truth.Talking about Trump,”say no more” what that means???You declare yourself as a warrior, but SPIT on real warrior, and you are far removed from the real truth.God help us whith “warriors ” like you
[…] Link – https://cairnsnews.org/2026/07/21/the-shocking-reality-of-firearm-laws-in-the-police-state-of-wester… […]
I’m not saying anything against those who are here legally, but we don’t need the ICE groups marauding in the streets of Australia like Pauline apparently wants, forcing themselves into homes, terrifying everyone, dragging people into the streets, and mass deporting Muslims etc., without them having any legal recourse. Apparently she visited Trump. My goodness!!! Say no more.
But the sheer injustice in America as ICE Agents fill their ‘quotas’ and the shooting of innocent people. Putting people in open cages in places like Alligator Alcatraz where they are eaten alive by swamp mosquitos, and guarded by snakes and alligators. And I’m not joking. I kid you not.
Today this is called justice. We don’t want that here Pauline. This is authoritarianism gone too far. And then in America, protesters being shot at and sprayed and having flash bangs thrown at them.
.
However, have you asked why the sudden worldwide mass hysteria about Muslims needing to be deported? And the GRAB for guns?
Well, here’s a thought by someone who questioned this in the UK after it was found that it was ‘people in high places’ who were sexually abusing children, and not the Pakistanis. You didn’t see that in the paper or hear it on the News did you?
His answer was that the Muslims won’t fight with you against those of the Middle East where the focus now is.
Our guys and gals will be out fighting and while they are fighting in a war that will kill many, and has no relationship to Australia, we will be left on a war footing and poor, and the women and children will be left helpless in a government takeover. No guns to protect us. No one to help us. Mark my words. There is enough happening now with the confiscation of legally owned guns, and the relationship with what happened in Port Arthur and the growing authoritarianism in Australia.
.
But then of course, he might just be a Conspiracy Theorist with a good imagination.
A bit of character bashing there. Who has the right to do that without fair rebuttal
It sure is good we “won” WW2 and the “Cold War”!
I obviously do not know this guy. But this seems to be another example of the Police and Government over reaching.
A typical Aussie bloke who has been shooting his whole life , with no criminal charges against him.
What’s the reason ??
And yet that guy in the Bondi incident who killed a number of people, w known trips to terrorist hot spots and an immigrant, was allowed to have multiple firearms!
Absolutely ludicrous
They just seem to be getting everything so wrong so often.
Shaun, no harm can come to a “Person”.
A “Person” is non gender in their upside down World and not able to have children.
They speak legalese…
Their World collapses when we stop being “Persons” or “Citizens”.
.
Past time to hide your guns and tell the pricks they were stolen/lost off the back of the ute/boat. They have no constitutional authority to take anything away from us, being armed is an INALIENABLE RIGHT! A right given by God, the little hat people want your guns because of that…and so when they start the slaughter, like in Russia, we can’t fight back, they will have all the guns.
BANDAIDS DO NOT CURE A DISEASE.
YOU HAVE TO DISINFECT OR CUT IT OUT.
MOST OF PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITIES ARE DISEASES IN THE CURRENT SETTING.
GOING INTO THEIR COURTS TO TO REPAIR THEIR PREFERRED DAMAGES IS FUTILE, AND ENDS UP SUPPORTING THEIR FOUL CREATIONS OF LAW AND ORDER (WHICH ARE NOT REAL LAW, BUT ARE ONLY ADMIRALTY FAKE LEGISLATIONS).
*** THE CURE IS TO SACK THIS EVIL GOVERNMENT AND REPLACE IT WITH A CONSTITUTIONALLY AUTHORISED ONE ***
[ The prawn is obviously in need of a nanny state regulator ]
Interesting diversion
The peacock mantis shrimp (a “smasher” mantis shrimp) has one of the fastest and most powerful biological weapons known.
Its club-like forelimb doesn’t work like a normal claw. Instead, it functions more like a spring-loaded hammer.
Here’s how it works:
Energy storage
Powerful muscles slowly contract, but instead of moving the club immediately, they compress an elastic structure inside the limb.
This structure is made largely of a material called resilin (a highly elastic protein) along with mineralized components.
A latch holds the limb in place while energy builds up.
Latch release
When the shrimp decides to strike, it releases the latch.
The stored elastic energy is released almost instantaneously.
The strike
The club accelerates incredibly quickly—reaching speeds of around 20–25 m/s (45–55 mph) in less than a millisecond.
The acceleration can exceed 10,000 g, far greater than what muscles alone could produce.
Cavitation
The club moves so fast that it creates a region of very low pressure in the water behind it.
This causes tiny cavitation bubbles to form.
When these bubbles collapse a fraction of a millisecond later, they generate:
a second shock wave,
a brief flash of light (sonoluminescence),
temperatures and pressures that are extremely high on a microscopic scale.
So the prey is often hit twice:
first by the physical impact of the club,
then by the collapsing cavitation bubble.
This combination is enough to:
crack crab shells,
break snail shells,
fracture mollusc armor,
and even crack aquarium glass if it’s thin enough.
The remarkable part is that the shrimp’s own weapon survives these repeated impacts. Its club has a sophisticated layered structure:
a hard mineralized outer surface resists wear,
an energy-absorbing middle layer prevents cracks from spreading,
and helicoidally arranged fibers (a “Bouligand structure”) deflect fractures, a design that has inspired research into impact-resistant materials for armor and aerospace applications.
In effect, the mantis shrimp has evolved a biological crossbow: its muscles slowly load a spring, a latch stores the energy, and the release converts that stored energy into an extraordinarily fast, powerful strike that muscles alone could never achieve