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One of three religious extremist gunmen who killed two police officers and a neighbor was able to buy ammunition without a valid gun license.
Husband and wife Gareth and Stacey Train and their brother Nathaniel Train were killed by a specialist police team in Wieambilla, around 300 km west of Brisbane, on December 12, 2022, after the deadly ambush.
The Trains had spent several months before the attack stockpiling ammunition and fortifying the property in a doomsday-style preparation for the shootout.
However, police revealed on Friday that neither train had a valid gun license and should not have been able to buy or possess the ammunition or weapons used in the attack.
Police confirmed that Nathaniel Train’s gun license was suspended on August 22, 2022, and neither Gareth nor Stacey had a gun license.
Nathaniel Train (above) bought ammunition in Queensland using his suspended NSW firearms license before acting as one of three gunmen in the Wieambilla shooting
Stacey, Gareth and Nathaniel Train were killed by a specialist police team at a property (above) in Wieambilla after shooting dead two police officers conducting a missing persons search.
Ammunition and gun retailers in Queensland are required to verify a buyer’s valid gun license before they can sell the highly regulated goods.
A gun license shows a photo of the license holder and the type of weapon they are allowed to possess.
Trains’ neighbor, Alan Dare (above), was shot dead when he went to check out the property during the shootout.
Despite strict gun laws, Nathaniel was still able to buy ammunition in the Wieambilla area before the shooting.
However, police said the dealers legally sold ammunition to Nathaniel Train.
“Guns and ammunition retailers are only required to physically see the buyer’s gun license,” a police spokesman said.
“The ammunition was purchased legally in Queensland from outlets surrounding Wieambilla.”
Nathaniel was able to remain “physically in possession of his gun license” by avoiding police, having been classified as a missing person for a year prior to the shooting.
Its last sighting before the attack was recorded in Dubbo, in west-central New South Wales, on December 4, 2021.
The tragic December 12 shooting unfolded when Officers Randall Kirk, Keeley Brough, Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold attended the Wieambilla property on the tip that Nathaniel was there.
They entered the property around 4:30 pm but were hit by a hail of bullets.
Officers Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were killed after attending the property with a missing persons tip (pictured is a memorial left for the officers at the nearby Tara Police Station)
On Thursday, police released Stacey’s journal detailing extremist religious belief groups found during a search of the property (pictured, SES volunteers searching the property after the shooting)
Arnold and McCrow were killed “execution” style at point blank range before Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth stole their Glock pistols from the police.
Kirk was shot in the leg, but managed to escape the gunfire and sought medical help at the nearby Chinchilla Hospital.
Brough ran and hid in the nearby bushes and started texting his family, fully believing he was saying his last goodbyes.
Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth then set fire to the grass she was on, hoping to lure her out of hiding. She He was later rescued by a specialized police tactical team of 16.
Nosy neighbor Alan Dare was also fatally shot after coming to see what was causing the noise and flames.
Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan said stakeholders are considering whether ammunition and arms dealers should be required to check a pre-existing online system of Queensland licensing states before selling goods.
“The Queensland Police Service is always looking for ways to improve community safety and as such I have asked them to discuss with stakeholders whether a legislative change is required to make it mandatory for merchants to use the verification system.” state to determine the eligibility of a person at a point of sale,’ he said.
Queensland Firearms Association President Jade Cleaver said it was her understanding that Nathaniel Train had a NSW firearms license which was suspended in December 2021, after he illegally dumped weapons on the NSW/ QLD, while crossing state borders in breach of covid restrictions.
Rachel McCrow (left) and Matthew Arnold (right) were shot “execution style” during the December 12, 2022 shooting
The news follows the disclosure of details about the extremist beliefs of the Trains.
On Thursday, police revealed that a journal of Stacey’s was recovered from the property showing that the shooters were motivated by extremist Christian beliefs and viewed officers as “monsters or demons.”
The newspaper indicated that the Trains believed in a Christian fundamentalist premillennialist theology, which affirms that Jesus Christ will return, but before that, the world plunges into an abyss of evil.
However, police said it would be up to the coroner to give the final verdict on what motivated the attack.