
Tuesday, 13th May 2008 - 14:19CET
Package found to contain puzzles, books...and machine guns!
A man who had asked his brother-in-law to send him two disassembled machine guns from America to add to his collection was fined €388 (Lm166.52) by a court this morning.
Charles Camilleri, 41, from Nadur was found guilty of importing the machine guns without a licence and failing to pay duty on the items in October 1998.
Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard how Mr Camilleri’s wife Tanya had gone to pick up a package at their local post office.
The machine guns were found when she was asked to open the package for inspection.
Testifying in court Mr Camilleri said that he had been living in New York when he had ordered the machine guns but due to a strike by the UBS shipping company they had not arrived on time. He then asked his brother-in-law to send them over as he was returning to Gozo. Mr Camilleri told the court that he had not realised that there was any type of tax to be paid or a licence to apply for.
Magistrate Scerri Herrera took into consideration that the package was registered as containing puzzles, books and clothes but not firearm parts.




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Comments
Deactivated guns are not classed as firearms in MOST states within the US and are just as good as a plumbing pipe or a piece of lumber (in those regions).
Let’s assume that they were deactivated (we don’t know for sure), does that mean that the defendant should not declare the items? Not knowing the law is not a good enough excuse for most judges. If it can be proven that the defendant tried to cheat the system by evading taxes & duty, he'd better have a good convincing story so they go a bit lenient on him. If the items will be displayed during his trial he will likely have a hard time unless, they are just a lump of metal and wood with some historical significance.
Did he get to keep the guns?
My question though is not only about the importation method into Malta, but a machine gun (or so this news paper described it "???") have a higher restriction classification especially in the state of New York. Was this registered to the owner when he resided in the stare of New York?
My previous comment included the question "He was fined only Lm166?" before the word "Ridiculous".
Seems a moderator decided that question was superfluous.
The article does not mention if they are functioning machine guns or collector's items that are often disabled.
I mention this because I have a relative who had to register a weapon - a cannon. This "cannon" was nothing other then a brass decoration, completely non functioning, never functioning in fact. Little more then a piece of brass 3 feet long.
Ridiculous.