Nov 2018
Duck for cover: gun laws up for debate
Both Labour and National are drawing battle lines over another problem, and stirring a very angry hornets' nest: firearms laws.
The Arms Act dates back to 1983 and hasn't had a significant refresh for 26 years.
Police Minister Stuart Nash has requested a review of the legislation. Police will deliver their advice to him next week.
National, sensing an opportunity, has organized a roadshow aimed at gun owners.
The debate about gun control policy in New Zealand has never reached the level of the "culture wars" raging for the soul of America.
Recommendations on firearms control by Justice Thorp in 1997 were never passed into law. An Arms Amendment Bill, introduced in 2005, languished until it was dismissed in 2012.
And every year since 2010, government proposals for changes to legislation have been drawn up, and then quietly dropped.
So, now Nash – who sat on the select committee and was vocal about the need for greater control – has grasped the nettle.
Police are increasingly nervous about a number of trends. One in five frontline officers are now confronted with a firearm every year. Two terrifying incidents in Kawerau and Morrinsville in 2016 saw seven police officers shot at.
There has been a increase in the presentation of guns at commercial robberies and in drug-related activity.
Anecdotally, officers now rarely investigate a gang-related crime if a gun is not present. Organized crime and gangs now use semi-automatics as their weapon of choice, according to reports from the frontline.
Police are also seeing an increase in the possession of semi-automatic firearms. Officially, of the 1.5 million firearms owned in New Zealand, just 15,000 are military-style semi-automatic rifles, or MSSAs.
They must be registered. To hold an MSSA, you need an E-category endorsement of a standard firearm licence, which requires references and substantial checks. These military-style firearms and pistols are already subject to good traceability and accountability measures. There are strict rules around storage.
But it's not that simple. Firearms held under a basic A-category licence can now easily be converted to MSSAs, using unregulated parts.
In July 2017, Quinn Patterson killed Natanya and Wendy Campbell at his home near Whangarei. He had illegally acquired an A-category semi-automatic through using a friend's firearms licence, and then transformed it into an MSSA by adding a high-capacity magazine.
Police are pushing for tighter regulation of these parts, and have used Patterson's crime as an example.
They'd also like a compulsory register – an idea that has met with great opposition from the firearms community. Some argue such a measure is ineffective as criminals aren't minded to register their illegally held weapons.
Since 1992, politicians have backed nervously away. Frustrated at a lack of progress, police have flexed their muscles by making administrative changes.
For example, this year they refused import applications for
AR15 semi-automatic rifles and parts, infuriating retailers who have threatened court action.
It's only served to drive a wedge between police and legal gun-owners, who believe the cops are being heavy-handed and acting arbitrarily.
Police spokesman Chris Bishop is using 30 "gun forums" to develop fresh policy ahead of the 2020 election. He's noticed that many legal gun-holders are keen on tougher punishments for those who use firearms in crime, particularly gang members.
But policy development isn't the only motive. There are around 250,000 gun owners in New Zealand – a sizeable constituency mainly of men aged 40-70.
They are active, and politically motivated, as the backlash over the recent South Island tahr cull demonstrated.