Man who wore colander on his head for gun licence given the OK from police after he declares it a Pastafarian headpiece
Gun owner found there are no laws against wearing pasta strainers
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Your support makes all the difference.Adelaide man Guy Albon, who had his four guns confiscated due to fears over his "mental competency" brought about by him wearing a colander on his head in his gun licence photo, has been given the all clear after he insisted the utensil was crucial to his religion, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Albon successfully argued for the return of his licence thanks to his allegiance to Pastafarianism, a parody religion that opposes creationism being taught in schools.
"I thought it would be a bit of fun," he told The Advertiser of his licence photo.
“As far as I know I’m the first person to do it (in Australia). I’ve copped quite a bit of flack from the police firearms branch and I’ve told them as far as I know — my legal knowledge is limited — but as long as the piece was a religious head piece it was going to be okay. They don’t have a qualifying list of religions not allowed to wear them."
Albon admitted that the attendant who took the photo was a "little perplexed" by his choice of headwear at the time.
"When I lined up for the picture — I popped it on my head and I told her I’m Pastafarian," he recalled.
"She looked at me a little perplexed and I explained it to her and she was quite impressed and said she would like to look into it. I’m hoping she became a member actually."
While his guns have been returned, Albon will however have to sit for a new photo sans colander.
"I was told I was mentally competent and I have never misused my guns or intend to do so," he said. "So it’s a real kick in the guts that I was told if I went to get another photo with the colander, my guns would once again be confiscated."
The 30-year-old plans to wear the colander for the renewal of his driver's licence in the coming months however, asking: "What are they going to do — take my car away?"
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