American Backpacker Flips in Court Over Gold-Plated Gun

A Floridian pleaded guilty in an Australian court on Wednesday after they were caught attempting to smuggle a 24-karat gold-plated gun Down Under—and they did a backflip before entering their plea.

Liliana Goodson, who uses they/them pronouns, said they were on their way to a “clown institute in Sydney” when they were stopped at Sydney Airport with a Colt .45-style pistol and ammunition in their luggage in May 2023, reported the Daily Mail . Goodson also shared that they were carrying a “cat spine, squirrel feet and rabbit pee,” according to the Mail .

“When I got over here the gun was not even in the back of my mind at all,” the 29-year-old reportedly told the Australian Border Force, according to 9 News . “I did not remember... my memory failed me.”

However, investigators said they found that Goodson had asked Google before her flight: “Can I carry a gun in my suitcase?”

Goodson explained, “When I looked on Google, it’s because I was trying to figure out how to get the gun from America to Australia.”

Goodson, who has a concealed carry license in the U.S., added that they were “scared of shooting” the gun, “but in L.A. if you just brandish a weapon people will like scatter… I would probably just pistol whip until I got training again.”

After she was reminded of what she said in her interview with ABF agents, she backflipped and pled guilty to importing the handgun and ammunition.

Goodson has been awaiting trial in Australia for six months. They are facing two charges of intentionally importing prohibited goods.

Goodson’s attorney said they “never intended to import a firearm” and suffered from mental health challenges. They will return to court in November for their sentencing hearing.

Goodson has since failed to get into clown school but said they are pursuing the “acting route.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.