Kyle Sandilands is banned from buying a handgun after police cited his links to a convicted drug trafficker in finding he was not a ‘fit and proper person’ to own firearms.
Police refused the radio star a firearms licence last year on grounds that included his sometimes bizarre on-air antics but the 50-year-old was fighting that decision.
Sandilands was set to take the NSW Police Commissioner to court to challenge the ruling next week but the case has already been determined.
Daily Mail Australia understands Sandilands dropped his appeal to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. A police source said it was resolved ‘in the Commissioner’s favour’.
Kyle Sandilands was denied a gun licence after police tallied a list of reasons against the KIIS FM radio host owning firearms. He is pictured at Los Angeles shooting range with 60 Minutes reporter and breakfast television presenter Karl Stefanovic in 2020
Authorities were concerned by Sandilands’ (left) friendship with convicted drug trafficker Simon Main (second from left) who spent four years in an Italian prison over an ecstasy bust. Another Sandilands friend, John Ibrahim, is pictured second from right
Sandilands already owns a permit to handle firearms under supervision at a pistol club in Sydney’s south-west but wanted to take his passion to the next level.
Before his plans were blocked by police the KIIS breakfast host had hoped to buy a pistol and rifle and to shoot competitively.
Authorities claimed they were concerned by Sandilands’ friendship with convicted drug trafficker Simon Main, who spent four years in an Italian prison over a major MDMA bust.
Main had attempted to shift 333,000 ecstasy pills worth about $10million in 2000 – considered the world’s largest haul of the illicit drug at the time.
Sandilands is also a close personal friend of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim and his model girlfriend Sarah Budge.
In 2018 Ibrahim was served with a firearms prohibition order after police searched his home at Dover Heights in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
A search warrant was also executed at Budge’s Double Bay apartment where police found a 9mm Glock 26 pistol.
Sandilands (left) is also a close personal friend of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim (right) and his model girlfriend Sarah Budge
The shock jock (pictured) wanted to take his passion for firearms to the next level by purchasing a pistol and a rifle but was blocked by police
After a lengthy court battle, Ms Budge was acquitted of possessing the unlicensed pistol and found not guilty of two other firearm possession charges.
Ibrahim was not linked to the gun charge or any of the offences committed by his relatives which led to the raids.
These days Ibrahim manages his inner-city real estate investments, having left the nightclub industry when Sydney’s lockout laws were introduced.
He is often spotted spending time with Sandilands, who regularly talks about their friendship on The Kyle and Jackie O Show he hosts with Jackie Henderson.
Ibrahim, Budge and Main were all pictured at the 35th birthday bash of the radio juggernaut’s partner Tegan Kynaston in December 2020.
Sandilands confirmed his engagement to Kynaston in January and the couple is now expecting their first child
Sarah Budge (right), John Ibrahim (left) and Simon Main were all pictured at the 35th birthday bash of Sandilands’ partner Tegan Kynaston (centre) in December 2020. Sandilands confirmed his engagement to Kynaston in January and the couple is now expecting their first child
Ibrahim is often spotted spending time with Sandilands, who speaks highly of their friendship on The Kyle and Jackie O Show he hosts with Jackie Henderson (right)
Sandilands has spoken of his interest in guns on his radio program.
Last October he discussed firearm safety in the wake of Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shooting dead cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a prop revolver on the set of the film Rust.
‘I use live ammunition weekly and the protocol in live ammunition is very strict,’ Sandilands told his audience. ‘You’ve got to be careful where you point it, hold it, everyone’s counting everything.’
A close friend of the radio host told The Australian that his sometimes chaotic on-air antics was also used as justification for why he could not be trusted with a firearm.
That person said shooting was Sandilands’ only hobby, adding any pre-conceived idea of how the host might handle a gun was ‘quite the opposite’.
Police must determine if an individual applying for a gun permit is a ‘fit and proper’ person through a gruelling process including multiple background checks.
Applicants may be refused if they have a history of mental health problems, domestic violence charges, or are associated with any criminal intelligence reports.
A close friend of the radio host (pictured) told The Australian that his sometimes chaotic on-air antics was evidence as to why he could not be trusted with a firearm
Sandilands, who reportedly earns $5million a year hosting KIIS FM’s Kyle And Jackie O Show, entered the business world in 2012 after he founded an investment company called King Kyle
A person seeking to own a gun can also be rejected if it is not in the ‘public interest’ for them to acquire one or if they could be a ‘danger to public safety or the peace’.
The matter had been listed for hearing at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Monday.
Sandilands, who reportedly earns $5 million a year hosting KIIS FM’s Kyle And Jackie O Show, entered the business world in 2012 after he founded an investment company called King Kyle.
The company, which Sandilands says is now worth about $100million, has also recently expanded into content creation and music production.
One of Sandilands’s latest ventures is TapJar, an app which makes it easy for customers to tip staff without the need for cash.
