An Official Statement from Gel Ball Undercover (GBU) — January 2026
On October 8, 2025, Queensland State Coroner Terry Ryan recommended that the Weapons Act be amended to require anyone possessing a gel blaster to hold a valid Queensland Weapons License. As one of Australia's leading gel blaster importers, distributors, and retailers — trusted by over 150,000 customers — Gel Ball Undercover (GBU) feels compelled to respond to this recommendation with the strongest possible objection.
We do so not out of self-interest, but out of genuine concern for the hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders who enjoy this hobby responsibly, the hundreds of workers whose livelihoods depend on this industry, and the fundamental principle that public policy should be based on evidence — not tragic outliers.
This recommendation, if implemented, would not make Queensland safer. It would destroy an industry, criminalise responsible hobbyists, and fail to address the actual issues at play in the Pilkington case.
The Courts Have Already Decided: Gel Blasters Are Toys
The legal status of gel blasters in Queensland was not established by accident or regulatory oversight. It was established through rigorous legal examination in Queensland's courts.
In a landmark case fought by industry pioneers — including Peter Clark of Tactical Edge Hobbies, who endured a 12-month legal battle after Australian Border Force seized shipments — the Queensland Magistrates Court examined gel blasters in exhaustive detail. The court reviewed ballistics testing, material composition, functionality, and expert evidence. The conclusion was unequivocal: gel blasters are toys, not weapons.
This wasn't a technicality or a loophole. It was a substantive legal finding based on evidence. The government at the time accepted this finding and built Queensland's regulatory framework around it — a framework that has successfully balanced community safety with recreational freedom for years.
Coroner Ryan's recommendation asks the Queensland Government to effectively overturn this legal precedent — not because new evidence has emerged about gel blasters themselves, but because of a single tragic incident involving a man in mental health crisis who used a gel blaster in the commission of serious crimes. The gel blaster did not cause this tragedy. Mental health failures, policing circumstances, and criminal behaviour did.
The Logic Does Not Hold: Why Licensing Will Not Prevent Similar Incidents
Let us examine the actual facts of the Pilkington case:
Peter Pilkington took hostages at an NDIS office. He threatened to kill people. He pointed what appeared to be a firearm at police. He adopted a shooting stance. He explicitly told negotiators he wanted officers to kill him.
The coroner found the police officer's use of lethal force was entirely justified. The officer made "reasonable decisions when faced with a high-risk and difficult situation." There was no police misconduct. There was no regulatory failure regarding gel blasters.
Now ask yourself: Would a weapons licensing requirement have prevented this incident?
The answer is unambiguously no.
A person willing to take hostages, threaten murder, and commit suicide-by-cop is not going to be deterred by a licensing requirement. Criminals do not comply with licensing regimes — that is precisely what makes them criminals. Mr. Pilkington could have used a kitchen knife, a hammer, a car, or any number of objects to create the same threat perception. He chose a realistic-looking gel blaster specifically because of its appearance, not its function.
Licensing gel blasters would impose enormous regulatory burden on hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens while doing absolutely nothing to prevent determined criminals or those in mental health crisis from obtaining realistic-looking objects. It is security theatre of the most expensive and destructive kind.
The Human Cost: Who Actually Gets Hurt
The gel blaster industry in Queensland is not some fringe hobby. It is a significant economic contributor that supports:
- Hundreds of direct employees across retail stores, venues, importers, and distributors
- Thousands of indirect jobs in logistics, manufacturing accessories, venue operations, and related services
- Millions of dollars in annual tax revenue to the Queensland Government
- Dozens of small businesses — many family-owned — who have built their livelihoods serving this community
- Over 150,000 customers who have trusted GBU alone, with millions more across the state enjoying this hobby responsibly
A weapons licensing requirement would not "regulate" this industry. It would annihilate it.
The process of obtaining a Queensland Weapons License is lengthy, expensive, and designed for actual firearms. It requires demonstrated "genuine reason" such as sport shooting at approved clubs, occupational requirements, or primary production. Recreational gel blasting does not fit within the existing licensing framework. The licensing system was never designed for toys, and retrofitting it to cover gel blasters would create administrative chaos while providing zero public safety benefit.
The result would be mass non-compliance, criminalisation of ordinary hobbyists, and the complete collapse of legitimate businesses who have operated lawfully for years. Parents who bought gel blasters for backyard fun with their kids would become criminals overnight. Veterans who use gel blasting for therapeutic recreation would lose access. Sporting clubs and venues would close. Employees would lose their jobs.
Queensland's Framework Already Works
Queensland is not operating in a regulatory vacuum. The current framework, developed in close consultation with Queensland Police Service Weapons Licensing and the industry, already addresses the legitimate safety concerns:
- Age restrictions: Only adults 18+ can purchase gel blasters (as of September 2024)
- Storage requirements: Gel blasters must be stored in locked containers when not in use
- Transport requirements: Must be completely concealed during transport
- Public display prohibition: Carrying a gel blaster visibly in public is already illegal
- Retailer obligations: Mandatory ID verification, transaction records, secure stock storage, and staff training
- Severe penalties: Up to 2 years imprisonment for carrying an unconcealed gel blaster in public; up to 7 years for threatening behaviour
- "Reasonable excuse" requirement: Possession requires a legitimate purpose such as recreation, collection, or display
Queensland Police have explicitly stated: "This framework ensures that gel blaster activities can continue to be safely enjoyed in Queensland. The framework supports gel blaster enthusiasts, supports small businesses that sell gel blaster equipment and supplies, and ensures community safety."
The Pilkington incident did not occur because of inadequate gel blaster regulation. It occurred because a man with serious mental health issues committed serious crimes. The regulatory framework for gel blasters functioned exactly as intended — it is not designed to prevent determined criminals from committing crimes any more than kitchen knife regulations prevent stabbings.
What Would Actually Help
If the Queensland Government genuinely wants to prevent similar tragedies, there are evidence-based approaches that would actually make a difference:
1. Enhanced mental health services and crisis intervention: Mr. Pilkington had a documented history of mental illness. Better access to mental health support might have prevented his crisis from escalating to the point of hostage-taking.
2. Continued public education campaigns: The QPS "STOP and Think" campaign has been effective at reducing gel blaster misuse incidents. Expanding this education, particularly around the real-world consequences of brandishing realistic-looking objects, would provide genuine benefit.
3. Industry partnership on appearance standards: GBU and the broader industry have always been willing to work with regulators on sensible approaches. We would support discussions about visual differentiation requirements (such as mandatory bright coloring on certain parts) that would help first responders distinguish gel blasters from firearms without destroying the recreational experience or requiring impossible licensing regimes.
4. Enforcement of existing laws: The current framework provides strong penalties for misuse. Ensuring consistent enforcement of these existing provisions would address the small minority of bad actors without punishing the vast majority of responsible enthusiasts.
A Message to the Crisafulli Government
The Queensland Government is required to respond to Coroner Ryan's recommendations. We urge the Crisafulli Government to consider the following before responding:
- The legal precedent establishing gel blasters as toys was hard-won and evidence-based
- Licensing would not have prevented the Pilkington incident and will not prevent future similar incidents
- The current regulatory framework, developed with QPS, already addresses legitimate safety concerns
- Hundreds of Queensland jobs and millions in economic activity hang in the balance
- Hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Queenslanders would be criminalised or burdened with unnecessary bureaucracy
- The industry has always been willing to work constructively with government on sensible solutions
We respectfully submit that the appropriate response to Coroner Ryan's recommendation is to acknowledge the tragic circumstances of the Pilkington case while declining to implement a licensing regime that would cause enormous harm without delivering any genuine public safety benefit.
Our Commitment
Gel Ball Undercover has built its reputation on providing high-quality gel blasters with exceptional customer support. We have always operated within the bounds of the law and have always prioritised safety education for our customers.
We remain committed to working with Queensland Police, the Queensland Government, and the broader industry to ensure gel blasting remains a safe and enjoyable activity for all Queenslanders. We support sensible regulation. We do not support regulation that would destroy livelihoods, criminalise responsible citizens, and provide no actual safety benefit.
We call on all gel blaster enthusiasts, businesses, and supporters to make their voices heard. Contact your local Member of Parliament. Submit feedback through official channels. Let the Queensland Government know that evidence-based policy, not knee-jerk reactions to tragic outliers, is what Queenslanders expect and deserve.
The gel blaster community has always been responsible. We have always been willing to engage constructively. We ask only that the government meet us with the same good faith.
Gel Ball Undercover (GBU)
www.gelballundercover.com.au
January 2026
For media inquiries or further comment, please contact GBU through our official website.
