I don't think the Megatron club is active. I emailed my membership form and payed the yearly $10 fee via PayPal last Tuesday, but still haven't heard from them. I guess I'll keep waiting.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
I don't think the Megatron club is active. I emailed my membership form and payed the yearly $10 fee via PayPal last Tuesday, but still haven't heard from them. I guess I'll keep waiting.
Rank 10 - Admin
I imagine, or hope, that PC have done their research, or consulted legal advice, as I think they have to be very careful selling these... as fake weapons that could look real at a passing glance by a common person, are being classed as restricted items in all states to varying degrees. So just like working weapons, a gun dealer can't just sell (real or fake) weapons to people without making sure that they are legally allowed to do so first. It may be the buyer's responsibility to be covered by a permit if they require one, but it is also the responsibility of the seller (in QLD) to make sure that the buyer is allowed to buy one first.Originally Posted by ZoonMaster5000
It's like the rule in our Userguide about prohibited or restricted items, to cover this site - it's up to the seller to make sure that they aren't selling one to someone who is not allowed to own one (like if they don't have a permit, or can't get one due to age or criminal history).
The legal advice sought will come through around 6 months after the official release date, to keep prices down.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
That may be true about the law. But lets face it. If someone wants a replica gun to do evil bad crap with. Well they would go to a junk shop. Lots of $2 to $5 replica guns to be found. Why would they go to the trouble of getting a $200 transformer who is not even an accurate looking weapon.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Ditto, has been saying it since mp5
You are better off buying something else
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
What's an evil overlord going to do? You rob one convenience store and no one trusts you ever again.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
But it will be cartoon accurate
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
A mate of mine who works at a disposal said no one drops $200 for a fancy knife just to commit a crime, instead they'll buy a cheap blade from somewhere, commit the crime, dump the weapon and be done with it!
It's all just stupid red tape!
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Should be fine if this (clicky) is the type of thing you mean, they are the same weight (approx) as an MP and most people with these units have 3 or 4 MPs per shelf. The Fantastic Furniture one is basically the same as the Ikea one so it should have the same tolerances (the picture on the website with the anime figurines in them seems to indicate this as well), but I don't have one so I couldn't say for 100% sorry.
Not sure honestly as the laws change from state to state, best bet is just ask for clarification from the police dept.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
But if the replica belonged to someone else then the person may use said replica to threaten others with it. I knew a person in the ACT who carried someone else's vintage G1 Megatron in public places. On at least two occasions (once at a train station, another time at an airport) he was tackled by guards. It's because of idiots like this guy that these restrictions exist. This was before September 11, and we all know that the post 11-9 world is on heightened alert. Some of our longer-time members may remember who I'm talking about here (no point mentioning his name since he hasn't been a member for over a decade).
Not saying that it's justified, but it's the socio-political climate that we live in. Every time we fly we're subjected to a host of useless so-called 'security' measures designed to give us the illusion of safety rather than actually making us safe. But it's not as if we can opt out of going through airport customs and security checks just because we know that it's more about form over function, likewise we can't legally opt out of replica ownership laws simply because we disagree with them. The law simply doesn't work that way.
But to be fair, at least some states' police ministries have tried to meet collectors half way by allowing us to own these toys with permits. It sure beats having them just being outright illegal. Remember that in 2007 the NSW Police Ministry went through a 3 month court case before laws here were amended to allow NSW collectors to legally own Gunformers, and this set a legal precedent which has affected some other states. The NSW (and other states') police ministry(ies) recognised that Gunformers are inoperable weapons and can never be modified to become operable weapons. This is why many regulations were relaxed (in NSW at least), such as far greater leniency in the type of safe storage (e.g. a simple locked display cube will suffice, no need for a wall mounted safe), exemption from application fee etc. The Police Ministry is well aware that this is just a toy, however it was also determined in court that they still possess the potential to be a visual threat.
The case in the ACT proves this. The doofus who walked around with G1 Megatron led others to believe that it was a real gun. Imagine that you don't know anything about Transformers and you see a person walking around with something that resembles as pistol from a distance. It's a credible visual threat, and this is why the idiot who carried Megatron was crash-tackled by guards at both the train station and airport. If it happened today he'd be arrested. I know this because a few years ago a former student of mine was carrying a replica gun (one of those cheap ones that you can buy at a discount store). He was arrested by police. In each of these cases the accused didn't even point the toys or directly threaten anyone. They just walked around in public places holding toy guns. But it scared people and as a result they got into serious trouble.
The law knows that most replica gun owners are responsible people, and so are most actual gun owners. But the laws exist to:
a/ Ensure that these things are more likely to be owned by responsible people. Hence the background check - compare this with parts of the US where people with a history of mental illness can still purchase firearms and ammunition with tragic consequences.
b/ Ensure that these things don't end up in the hands of anyone else other than the licensed owner. As in the case in the ACT, those acts were perpetrated by a person using someone else's G1 Megatron. Imagine if someone broke into your home (knock on wood) and stole your replica weapon(s). They wouldn't care about the cost and could potentially use it to visually threaten other people. This is the reason why actual gun owners have to secure their weapons, to reduce the risk of them falling into the wrong hands (either a burglar, child etc.).
These laws are part and parcel of Australia's overall gun control, and while it's a hassle for toy collectors, the offset is that we get to enjoy living in a country where we haven't had a mass shooting since 1996 (touch wood). And most of the hassle is just once off. All the crap you gotta do to be compliant with safe storage and all the forms you gotta do to apply for your permit -- yeah, it's a royal pain the bum -- but you just do it once and that's it. Maintaining the permit (in NSW) is relatively easy after that. Every couple of years the NSW Police Ministry sends me a letter to remind me that my permit is close to expiry and includes a form to fill out to renew it - actually similar to other licences like your drivers licence. The only real hassle I've had was when I moved house, because I had to uninstall the door lock on my old Transformers room and reinstall it on the door to my new Transformers room. Yeah, that was a real pain the backside, but moves don't happen very often. You gotta remember to lock up your collection room whenever you leave the house, but it soon becomes a routine that you remember to do. Whenever I know I'm leaving the house I just lock the room up on my way past it. My collection room window is always closed and locked (because I've blocked it off to prevent sunlight from getting in (to protect the toys from photodegradation), so I don't need to worry about that. The case in which the toys are displayed is always locked - I only open it when I want to play with the Gunformers, otherwise they remain in a locked glass case at all times.
The initial stages of getting the permit is a nuisance, but you just get it done and afterwards you don't even think about it. Not referring to you, but I've seen some other people who go on and on about what a hassle the permit process is for years. Yes, it's a hassle, but that person could've just spent a few weeks to get it over and done with rather than whinging about it for years and refusing to comply. And even better when these people suddenly get their toys seized by Customs and complain about unfair it is... despite the fact that a legal avenue has existed for years. Sure, it's not as good as being in SA and WA where it's completely unrestricted, but it sure beats being in places where it's completely outlawed. The permit process represents a compromise which some Police Ministries have reached with collectors. And really... first world problems much?
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