Rise of sovereign citizen movement a challenge to Australia's world-leading gun control

"Sign up: AU Breaking News email Freeman has a history of run-ins with law enforcement and has shared in the past some forms of pseudo-legal beliefs, where adherents make arguments that deny the authority of the state. Police confirmed on Friday that Freeman's gun licence remained revoked at the time he allegedly killed two officers and injured another at his high country property on Tuesday."

"As part of its investigation into gun control, Guardian Australia has found pseudo-legal ideas are an issue in firearm disputes across the country, with police in some cases citing sovereign citizen beliefs as grounds to cancel licences and remove weapons. Freeman's disdain for authority appears to be extreme, but at the other end of the spectrum, police have raised concerns about the use of sovereign citizen arguments for several years."

Dezi Freeman told the Victorian Supreme Court in 2024 that his firearms licences had been cancelled and he had lost his club membership. He sought to challenge the cancellation of his driver's licence after being disqualified for two years for refusing a drug test and using a mobile phone while driving, and he described years of homelessness, alleged police attacks, and hardship for his family. His application for judicial review was dismissed. Police confirmed Freeman's gun licence remained revoked at the time he allegedly killed two officers and injured another. Police have increasingly cited sovereign citizen or pseudo-legal beliefs as grounds to cancel licences and remove weapons.

Read at www.theguardian.com