RON STERRY’S story just gets more bizarre.
NT Police have now charged the Alice Springs stabbing hero with unsecured ammunition. The ammo – is a tin of air pellets.
THE NSC has lodged an appeal for Ron, and once again secured the services of Jon Bortoli.
He’s the lawyer who saw Ron get through the previous legal fight he had over gun charges that astounded shooters, politicians and the media.
Ron’s story
You might recall that last April, Ron went to the aid of a stabbed neighbour. She survived.
Ron was the good guy. However, rather than chase the perpetrator and thank Ron for what he did, Alice Springs Police charged him with several firearm offences (click here to see that story).
Mr Bortoli defended him which resulted in 3 charges and one other one being beaten.
He was found guilty of possessing a weapon (a bayonet).
However the Alice Springs Court specifically ordered the return of the bayonet, as well as Ron’s guns, ammo and licence to him.
Click here to see that story.
Ron gets his guns back after the court win
The raid
Earlier this year, Alice Springs police went to Ron’s house to revoke his licence and seize his guns. The reason for this was that he had been found guilty of the weapons charge – which we remind them the court had already dealt with.
Ron was in Adelaide at the time, so the police were stranded. Miracously, they gained a search warrant after seeing what they described as being ‘a dangerous drug, precursor, or drug manufacturing equipment’.
As we exclusively reported (click here), what they seized were household substances such as vinegar, water, acetone and … Ron’s famous chilli oil.
NT Police arrive at Ron’s place.
Ron Sterry on NSCTV.com.au
The police also seized several other items, several of which were listed as ‘replica firearms’ and unsecured ammunition. Readers will recall that among them were a 357 round, a 45 ACP and a 303 round.
As Ron explained in our recent video, the ‘replica firearm’ were Nerf guns and the rounds were all spent. They were casings or dummy rounds.
Check out our interview with Ron from this episode of NSCTV (click here) from the 22:38 mark.
Ron's fundraiser
Desperate to lay a charge. Any charge.
The only remaining option for NT Police was to charge him for the tin of air pellets.
In Victoria, air pellets are not regulated in the same way as ‘cartridge ammunition’. However, in the NT they are.
So, after all the fuss about Ron’s firearms when he saved his neighbour, the court fight to clear his name, the raid, the seizures and the return of the ‘replicas’ and ‘rounds’, the best that NT’s finest can come up with is a tin of unsecured air pellets.
Police action “amounts to contempt of court”
The NT News has just published this story (paywalled) which shows the appeal claims the police trespassed on his property “in defiance of a judge’s ruling” which “amounts to contempt of court”.
It also reveals that the police intended to seize Ron’s guns without having served him with a revocation notice, which is a requirement in the NT.
This is likely to be an argument in the appeal, so we’re not inclined to discuss it further now, but it does raise some serious questions that I’m sure every shooter would love to know the answers to.
Wind the story back a bit and you will see that the pellets were seized from a raid that was based on woeful judgement around water, vinegar, asprin and chilli oil.
Those of you with a legal mind will quickly see the problem here. If the raid was not lawful, then that could cast doubt on even this charge.
Help us help Ron
As you will appreciate, supporting Ron through the legal system comes at a cost. Many of you have supported Ron through this so far, but we’ve got some way to go.
The great news is that we’re not only winning against the NT Police, but are showing to every registry how not to treat shooters in their state or territory.
We’ve proven just what a farce his treatment has been and think Ron deserves to have his name cleared.
IF YOU’VE ONLY JUST COME ACROSS THIS STORY and are equally outraged, please help us continue to fight for the right outcome by donating to his fight. Or simply join the NSC as the money we raise goes to fights just like this one (plus we offer genuine reason in some states).
Regardless of whether you can or can’t help, remember to check out the interview we had with Ron, and subscribe to our email list using the “Stay up to date – Join our email list” box below.
CLICK THE IMAGE to join the NSC
I myself have had my guns seized by police for no reason other than they dont like me because I report dishonest police to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission. They came to my home with no paperwork at all from the Firearms Registry. They told me the reason they were taking them was because I had convictions and ongoing charges which I dont and which I communicated to him his reply was I dont care I am taking your guns. I spoke to the Firearms Registry after police had left and they had no idea as to why the police had taken my guns and that they would investigate what had happened. My shooters licence was still valid for 20 days after police had taken it. Subsequently I received communications from the Firearms Registry that I needed to get a mental health assessment because they had received information they I had been receiving treatment from a Physcologist. I have been seeing a Physcologist for the past 8 years because I am a survivor of child abuse my mother was extremely evil and violent towards me when I was a child she even conspired with my brother to murder me by getting him to put a shotgun boobytrap in my bedroom when I was 16. Which police did nothing about except take the gun which they later returned. And when I was a grown man I reported my child abuse to the police in the hope of having my mother charged they fobbed me off and told me to go away. Also in my working life as an underground coalminer I along with my workmates had to locate the body of a buried co – worker and when we located him there was no life in him. I have also been divorced and had lots of trouble with my son so lots of trauma in my life. I have owned guns most of my life and never misused them or threatened anybody with them. I feel that the only reason my guns were taken is because police from the local station have a personal vendetta against me no other reason. So I am still waiting for a reply from the Firearms Registry after my Psychologist has sent them the the mental health assessment that they asked for. I have been in contact with National Shooting Council which I am a member and a Lawyer who they recommended. So glad that their is the NSC because it is pretty scary and frustrating dealing with police and the Firearms Registry. I feel that things will turn out for the best with the NSC on my side. Thanking you. Please stay safe. Regards .
Well done Ron and NSC for ‘sticking to your guns’ (pun intended) on this issue. These NT cops are an embarrassment. They have acted illegally against the court ruling and deserve to be dealt with accordingly. Officers of the Crown govern by the consent of the people, and we are here to remind them of that
Who, in the NT, (apart from the Judiciary) has the power to deal with these vindictive people? We cannot have law enforcement authorities ignoring the law and acting like petty dictators. The people responsible for this behaviour need to be weeded out of the system ASAP. Rod deserves compensation and an award for bravery, not this awful petty vile treatment. It would be interesting to get the views of the elected members of the NT govt. on this issue.
out of all this what actions were done to the criminal offenders who attacked the neighbor?
I really do hope things get better for firearm owners; I really do. This kinda behavior is not helping their image. The Australian police during the “pandemic” have been criticized for their disproporitionate behavior against citizens. We need a better community and people like Ron who are intelligent, productive citizens and look after their neighbors. What’s the point of police if they act like this?