A member of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang is facing a firearms prohibition order breach charge after police allege he took part in a carnival duck-shooting game at the Willunga Festival in South Australia, an activity investigators say was enough to violate the terms of his order.
The man, from Port Willunga, was arrested on 21 August in Adelaide. He faces two charges: breaching his firearms prohibition order and being unlawfully present at a shooting gallery, according to South Australia Police.
What a Firearms Prohibition Order Actually Prohibits
Under South Australia’s firearms laws, a person subject to a firearms prohibition order is barred from acquiring, possessing, or using a firearm, a firearm part, a sound moderator, or ammunition. South Australia Police enforce these orders as a targeted mechanism for keeping weapons out of the hands of individuals deemed to pose a risk, including those with links to declared criminal organisations.
Police allege that participating in the carnival duck-shoot, a fairground game in which players use an air rifle or similar device to knock over moving targets in exchange for prizes, constituted use of firearm-related equipment and therefore breached the order. The statutory prohibition does not distinguish between a licensed sporting firearm and a carnival prize game; the equipment falls within its scope.
According to Go To Court Lawyers, breaching a firearms prohibition order in South Australia carries a maximum penalty of a $75,000 fine or 15 years’ imprisonment. The Comanchero Firearms Prohibition Order breach alleged here, if proven, would engage those penalties.
The Comanchero Firearms Prohibition Order Case in Context
The Comancheros are one of Australia’s largest declared outlaw motorcycle gangs, and have been the focus of sustained police attention across multiple jurisdictions. On 5 March 2026, a coordinated operation under Taskforce Morpheus, targeting the Comancheros across Australia and New Zealand, resulted in 56 arrests and 168 charges.
That operation also saw 51 search warrants executed, four referrals for possible visa cancellation, and the seizure of illicit drugs, firearms, and cash. Crucially, police conducted 37 firearms prohibition order compliance checks as part of the same sweep, according to Nine News, underscoring how central FPO enforcement has become to the overall strategy against the organisation.
The Willunga arrest fits within that broader enforcement posture. Compliance checks on individuals subject to prohibition orders are not limited to formal raids; police treat any occasion where a prohibited person may have handled relevant equipment as potentially actionable.
A Carnival Game, a Legal Question
The charges will turn on whether the fairground equipment used in the duck-shooting game qualifies as a firearm or firearm part under the relevant South Australian legislation. Carnival air rifles are typically low-powered devices, but the statutory language of a firearms prohibition order is drafted broadly, and prosecutors will likely argue the device falls within its terms regardless of its recreational purpose.
The man has not entered a plea. South Australia Police issued their news release on the matter under the headline ‘Bikie attendance at local carnival, not all it’s quacked up to be,’ a turn of phrase that did not obscure the seriousness of the underlying allegation.
Subject to any onward court proceedings, the case raises a live question about the drafting of firearms prohibition orders: how broadly the prohibition on ‘use’ of firearm-related equipment extends when the equipment in question is a fairground attraction. Courts applying the order will need to determine whether legislative intent was to capture precisely this kind of incidental contact, or whether some de minimis principle applies.
The man is due to face court in due course. If prosecutors succeed on the shooting gallery charge as well as the FPO breach, the sentencing exposure could be substantial.
