Ms Bagley lived at a property in Ardlethan. Photo: Wikipedia.
A Riverina woman who had her firearms licence revoked has won back her right to bear arms after appealing to a NSW Tribunal, in a case in which NSW Police unsuccessfully used her social media posts as part of the case against her.
According to the published judgement, Dimity Bagley had her guns confiscated from her Ardlethan property after NSW Police performed a welfare check late one night in July 2024. The police then suspended her firearms licence, with the constable who visited her home later claiming she was suicidal and that she disrespected authority. Police also alleged her connection to her former partner — who later faced a criminal charge — made her unsuitable to hold firearms.
Ms Bagley strongly disputed all these claims. She said she wasn’t suicidal, always abided by the law and that the “inexperienced” constable involved misinterpreted events. She also said she had separated from her partner in July 2025.
She took the matter to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), where senior member Regina Block ruled that police failed to provide evidence that she suffered from mental health issues or hated authority. NCAT also noted that Ms Bagley had an “unblemished record” in her 30-year history of firearm ownership.
Ms Block ordered that her licence be reinstated on the condition that her guns and ammunition not be stored in a location where they could be accessed by her former partner.
Social media posts as evidence
NSW Police used Ms Bagley’s social media posts as a part of their NCAT case against her.
They said she replied to a comment on her Facebook page about “expecting uninvited guests”, where she was pictured holding a gun, and saying “if only it was that easy”. Police claimed this was threatening behaviour that showed she could not be trusted with firearms.
Police lawyers also referred to social media posts to dispute Ms Bagley claim she separated from her partner in July 2025 – online snapshots and captions of the pair’s trip to Young in August 2025 which suggested they were in a continuing romantic relationship.
The police noted that her then partner was subject to a serious criminal charge relating to an event in 2019, and were concerned he might have access to her firearms.
Police also relied on a confidential bundle of material lodged with the NCAT that Ms Bagley wasn’t allowed to see.
How the saga began
In July 2024, Ms Bagley’s then partner contacted Ardlethan Police Station for help after the couple had an argument and he was unable to reach her by telephone. His call was transferred to Wagga Police, who contacted an ambulance.
The paramedics and police officers attended the property, conducted their checks on Ms Bagley and took her to a hospital for further examination, releasing her a few hours later.
The constable who attended Ms Bagley’s home later said he felt she was “hostile and evasive” and assessed her as suicidal.
Two days later, Ms Bagley received a letter telling her that her gun licence had been suspended on “mental health grounds”. She sought a review of this decision, but a NSW Police internal review reaffirmed it, informing her that her licence had been revoked because she “does not respect authority” and because of her alleged mental health issues.
Judgement
In her published judgement, Ms Block said the constable who attended Ms Bagley’s home did not have enough experience or training to assess her as suicidal and there was no other evidence of her being suicidal from the hospital or ambulance.
Ms Block found that cross-examination of the constable’s evidence under oath raised several inconsistencies and suggested an officer lacking in experience and understanding of nuance.
“I am satisfied that there is insufficient evidence to find that [Ms Bagley] suffers from any mental health condition, and therefore this does not comprise an adequate ground on which to revoke or refuse her licence,” Ms Block ruled.
Ms Block also found there wasn’t enough evidence to support the conclusion that Ms Bagley disrespected police, saying she had credible concerns about the constable’s conduct.
On the question of Ms Bagley’s alleged relationship with a man facing criminal charges, she found that while this didn’t present a significant risk, her former partner still had access to her home and that he enjoyed her ongoing support and friendship.
Ms Block ruled this wasn’t enough of a reason to deny her a firearms licence but imposed the special condition that she must not store, use or possess firearms or ammunition at any location where her former partner resides or frequents.
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