Farmer who used gun to protect family from knife-wielding intruder has rifle confiscated
A farmer who confronted a knife-wielding intruder entering his family home with a rifle has had his guns confiscated by police.
David Dunstan used an unloaded rifle to stop the man entering his home as his three children lay sleeping inside.
He claims he’s being punished for protecting his family.
It was 3am when Mr Dunstan noticed the man on his property Bungowannah property in the New South Wales Riverina region.
“I sort of notice in his one hand he had a knife and I thought ‘ooh’,” he said.
Mr Dunstan uses a rifle for vermin control and armed with it, unloaded, he convinced the young man, possibly affected by ice, to surrender before driving him to Albury Police.
Their reaction has left the family stunned.
Mr Dunstan’s wife Andrea said the majority of Australians “think we should be able to protect our loved ones in our own homes”.
His .22 calibre rifle and two other guns were confiscated. He says he doesn’t know what else he could have done.
The threat was real.
Earlier that same night, the alleged intruder appeared at a nearby property outside a child’s bedroom window before smashing a kitchen window and being chased off by the owner armed with a hockey stick.
Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm said Mr Dunstan was protecting his family and “did what any normal father would do”.
Police say the best course of action is to call Triple-0.
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Mr Dunstan said he has no ill-will toward police just frustration at the system he believes is favouring criminals and minorities.
“You go and break into someone’s house you can be expected to either get arrested, shot or you could be maybe killed,” he said.
“And until that happens this sort of stuff keeps going on.”
The alleged intruder was denied bail and is due in court next month.