(ACT media release)
“New Police proposals for licensed firearms owners include making them pay for the cost of Police attendance at a burglary, the Government wants licensed firearms owners to pay for the privilege of being burgled,” says ACT’s Firearms Reforms spokesperson Nicole McKee.
“Licensed Firearms Owners deserve the same rights as any other victim of crime. They go through many checks and balances to be able to legally own their firearms, they should not be treated as if they are in the wrong for doing so.
“The Police should be encouraging people to report stolen firearms, not charging them a fee.
“The proposal for licensed firearms owners to pay for police attendance is part of the Arms Regulation: Review of fees 2022, which was released in December and closes for consultation on 16 February. The document proposes numerous new fees that will make it unaffordable for many people to continue as licensed firearms holders, and will put many dealers out of business.
“Keeping costs affordable provides an incentive for people to stay within the system, keep their firearms secured properly and be accountable. Being within the system means you receive essential firearms safety education, training, security is checked, and you have been vetted as a fit and proper person.
“New Minister of Police Stuart Nash should rule out charging law abiding citizens for being burgled immediately, and he should apply an extension to the June 2023 implementation date for new regulations to be enforced.
“This would ensure the firearms community isn’t constantly barraged with endless proposals and due diligence can be carried out.
“It’s time we get back to really protecting our communities from firearm misuse and that means relieving New Zealand Police of their administrative duty that Labour and NZ First placed upon them. ACT will achieve this by re-introducing a new firearms law, starting from scratch, that puts our communities, not the pockets of Government at the heart of good firearms legislation.
“We will begin by removing the administration of arms control from New Zealand Police leaving them to deal with their core business of enforcement.
“This means the Police can focus on dealing with actual criminals, instead of treating licensed firearms owners like criminals.”
An administration which has a history of glamourising criminal gangs now wants to discourage the reporting of stolen guns. Turrific.
We have a bunch of drongos for a government.
You and Chris Walker are both right. There is a master plan, but our politicians are drongos who do what they’re told, and then panic when they realise they might lose their seats. Or in the case of Jasinister, their UN career.
I wonder what other regulations will be dreamt up to force more guns into the black market.
Until Ardern messed with the licencing system prior to the Christchurch event New Zealand had the best, most effective and cost effective system of firearms regulation in the world according to the late Colin Greenwood, who was Britain’s foremost expert on firearms legislation. Everything Labour has done since the ignorant interference by Ardern and the police hierarchy to save money has made the crime situation worse and decreased public safety.
The registration scheme looks set to be an absolute fiasco just as it was in Canada. The Canadian scheme was estimated to cost C$100 million in 1995. The Canadians subsequently spent almost C$2 billion before abandoning the scheme because it did not prevent or solve any crimes and failed to deliver any of the benefits that were claimed it would.
Gun owners know they can no longer trust the government or the police (with whom we used to have a very good relationship which has been destroyed in recent years) and we know the only purpose of gun registration is to draw up a list for eventual confiscation exactly as happened in Germany in 1933.
NZ taxpayers are going to be stung for at least NZ$500 million to set up a scheme which many formerly law abiding sporting shooters will not comply with and the number of grey market guns which could. potentially, leak into the black market will increase hugely. How is this going to enhance public safety? Would it not be more cost effective to put that $500 million into measures to combat Gangs and organized crime instead of creating lots of paperwork criminals who up until now have never been a problem?
All part of the WEF Masterplan….