A 28-year-old American woman visiting Australia from Los Angeles was arrested in the Sydney Airport after a gun was found in her luggage, reports CBS News. But not just any gun—a 24-carat-gold-plated one, for reasons that are not specified. In a release, the Australian Border Force said the "firearm was unregistered and the US citizen ... did not hold a permit to import or possess the firearm in Australia." The woman, currently free on bail, was not named.
CBS and CNN note that Australia has some of the toughest gun laws in the world. Australia enacted its strict regulations in response to a 1996 mass shooting that killed 35 and injured 28. According to Vox, between late 1996 and 1997, Australia instituted perhaps one "of the largest mandatory" programs ever to ultimately take 650,000 guns off the streets and out of private homes. Vox says that murder and suicide rates in Australia quickly declined. The American woman who had the golden gun could end up deported with a canceled visa. The maximum penalty if convicted is 10 years in prison. (More weird crimes stories.)
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