Firearm News
More Officers Support Arming New Zealand Police
3 March 2019
Radio New Zealand
More and more police are in support of arming their own, Police Association figures show.
Sixty-six percent of assocation members supported general arming in a 2017 survey, up 6 percent on 2015 and up 18 percent on 2008, when only 48 percent of police employees were in favour.
Christchurch police have announced frontline staff will remain armed until a wanted man is found. Police Association president Chris Cahill earlier said their arming could spell the beginning of... (GunPolicy.org)
238,700 People Carrying Firearm Licences in NZ
16 June 2018
Stuff (New Zealand)
A lobby group is arguing there is a "cascade of failure" in controlling gun control in New Zealand.
Mike Loder, from Shooters Lottery, says the biggest step police should take to reduce the number of cases of criminals pulling guns on cops is to tackle recidivism.
Data from the Ministry of Justice showed since the 1980s, 51 offenders had been convicted for two or more offences for use of a firearm against law enforcement officer.
Between 2016 and 2017, 368 people... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 60,000 Registered Firearms in NZ
14 February 2018
Scoop (New Zealand)
Address to Otago University Public Health Summer School, Wellington
By Chris Cahill
President, NZ Police Association
The Police Association welcomes the timing of this symposium because it is clear to us that New Zealand needs to have a co-operative, common sense conversation about firearms.
We need to avoid resorting to extremes which we see paralysing jurisdictions such as the United States.
It has to be noted that the NRA has even inserted itself into our firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
1.5 Million Firearms Estimated to be in NZ
4 October 2017
Stuff (New Zealand)
As the United States comes to terms with one of its deadliest mass shooting in modern history after 59 people massacred at a Las Vegas music festival, the bitter argument about gun control will be a talking point yet again. Brad Flahive and Andy Fyers take a look at the gun debate in New Zealand.
The small seaside town of Aramoana was the site of New Zealand's worst mass murder in modern history. After an argument with his neighbour, David Gray shot and killed 13... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Knowledge of Gun Laws 'Unacceptable' - NZ Police
28 July 2017
NewsHub
Newshub has obtained an internal police document that shows a number of failures in the way police deal with firearms.
It shows their knowledge of the law around firearms is at an "unacceptable level", the licensing system is "no longer fit for purpose" and police and customs processes are "obsolete" and "leaving gaps".
Two women were shot dead on Wednesday by Whangarei man Quinn Patterson, who was amassed by an arsenal of illegal guns.
An admission by police chiefs... (GunPolicy.org)
Access to Guns Helps Fuel Farmer Suicides - NZ Study
1 May 2017
New Zealand Farmer
A broken relationship, drink and a gun - these three factors are a "fatal combination" and account for a significant proportion of farmer suicides, especially among young men.
A gun was used by 40 per cent of the 185 farmers who took their lives between 2007-15, compared with 8 per cent in the general population.
The first study ever in New Zealand farm suicides shows that financial stress was a "negligible" factor, reported in fewer than 5 per cent of cases, nor were... (GunPolicy.org)
Accidental Shootings Leading Cause of Death Among NZ Hunters
13 March 2017
Newshub
New research has revealed hunters falling to their deaths is one of the leading causes of hunting fatalities, alongside firearms incidents.
It's just one finding in a first-of-its-kind analysis of hunting data aimed at identifying problem-areas in the sector.
A Hunters Tale, A deep dive into hunting incidents in New Zealand has been put together by the Mountain Safety Council, partnered with groups including the police, ACC, the Department of Conservation and... (GunPolicy.org)
Iraq,Poland,France,Switzerland,Japan,New Zealand,Australia,Germany
German Ammo Sales Up Tenfold, €4 Billion Arms Sales in 2016
25 October 2016
Mo4ch (US)
Germany's small arms ammunition sales have increased by 10 times in the first 6 months of 2016, while total arms sales have reached €4 billion over the same period and have set a new record, Deutsche-Presse Agentur (DPA) says, citing a government report.
The total value of the small arms ammo export contracts has risen from €27 million ($29.3 million) in the first half of 2015 to €283.8 million ($308 million) in the first six months of 2016, the reports says,... (GunPolicy.org)
New Zealand's Gun Owners Say Registration Won't Stop Crime
26 August 2016
Scoop (New Zealand)
Millions of Tax Payers Money Spent on Gun Registration Will Not Affect Criminals
The Council of Licenced Firearms owners are disappointed at the comments suggested in Parliament to enact registration of all firearms. COLFO's Chairman Paul Clark has previously advised the Law & Order Select Committee that registration of firearms will not stop criminals using them. "People that do not own firearms must be asking how can listing a firearm on a database stop criminal use?... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Expert Says New Zealand in Danger of Mass Shooting
24 August 2016
TVNZ (New Zealand)
Warnings of mass-shootings have been raised at a parliamentary inquiry about illegal guns following a spate of attacks on police, like the incident in Kawerau in March this year when four officers were wounded.
Waikato University professor Alexander Gillespie told the inquiry that 95 per cent of guns in New Zealand are untraceable.
"At the moment I have to register my car. I have to register my dog. But my neighbour doesn't have to register his firearm," says Dr... (GunPolicy.org)
Online New Zealand Gun Trader Wants Access to Licence Data
10 August 2016
New Zealand Herald
Trade Me wants automatic access to police records on gun owners to prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
In an appearance before a committee at Parliament today, the company defended the sale of guns on its website after an MP suggested it stop selling weapons altogether.
A Parliamentary inquiry is looking at how to restrict the flow of firearms to criminals, gangs and unlicensed people.
It was launched in March after a series of high-profile shootings... (GunPolicy.org)
Review of New Zealand Gun Laws Likely to Lead to Changes
10 July 2016
Radio New Zealand
An internal review of how the police administer and monitor firearms is likely to lead to changes in the law, including allowing people to apply for a gun licence online.
The review was being carried out in parallel to the Parliamentary Select Committee inquiry into illegal gun possession, sparked by the shooting of four police officers in Kawerau and the seizure of a cache of illicit firearms in Auckland earlier this year.
Police national manager for police response... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,New Zealand,Iceland,Norway,Ireland,United Kingdom
5 Countries Where Police Don't Carry Guns, and It Works [ES]
9 July 2016
El Dinamo (Chile)
[Translated summary: In Britain, Ireland, Norway, Iceland and New Zealand, officers don't carry guns when they are on patrol. The effectiveness of this strategy is reflected in the low crime rates of these countries. Some experts believe that, in the US, both citizens and police should be disarmed to make it safer.]
Tras los violentos hechos registrados en Estados Unidos durante esta semana, el Washington Post reveló los particulares casos que se viven en Gran... (GunPolicy.org)
Ireland,United Kingdom,New Zealand,Iceland,Spain,Finland,Norway,United States
Handling Violence in Countries Where Police Don't Carry Guns
9 July 2016
Quartz (USA)
Another week, another police shooting in the United States. So far this year, 569 people have been killed by US police, according to The Guardian's count. Police brutality is a horrific normality and, in more ways than one, black men being shot by police has become the modern-day equivalent of lynching.
But, of course, it doesn't have to be this way. A police officer does not have to shoot to kill and, in several countries, a police officer does not even have to carry... (GunPolicy.org)
New Zealand Police Lose Control of 230,000 Unregistered Guns
3 June 2016
Stuff (New Zealand)
A firearms safety specialist says the tragic death of a two-year-old girl in Auckland should never have happened.
Counties Manukau police have charged a 26-year-old man with unlawful possession of a pistol after he was taken into custody in relation to a death at a house in Favona Rd.
He will appear in court on Friday.
Police said the youngster died at the property in Mangere on Thursday morning.
The oft-quoted figures of around 230,000 licence holders and around... (GunPolicy.org)
NZ Collector Loses 11 Machine Guns, Assault rifles to Thieves
19 May 2016
New Zealand Herald
A white stationwagon seen near a Dargaville property could hold the key to the theft of 11 automatic weapons - including submachine guns and assault rifles - stolen from the gun safe.
Dargaville Police are appealing for sightings of the white stationwagon that was seen near a house that was later discovered to have been burgled and a number of firearms stolen.
About 5.30pm on Tuesday, the occupants of a residential Dargaville property found they had been burgled.
As... (GunPolicy.org)
Gang Members Can Get Gun Licences in New Zealand
27 April 2016
New Zealand Herald
Being a gang member is not enough to stop someone getting a gun licence in New Zealand under current law.
The Herald today revealed how a patched Headhunter was able to legally buy $30,000 worth of high powered rifles between 2012 and 2015, before police revoked his firearms licence in January.
When police went to revoke the licence, the man had legally on-sold the weapons and they were unable to be retrieved.
The case has raised a number of issues with current... (GunPolicy.org)
Spate of Firearm Thefts in New Zealand
26 April 2016
New Zealand Herald
Firearms licence holders living in rural areas have been warned by police to review their security in the wake of a spate of firearms and ammunition thefts over the weekend.
The call comes after four shotguns were stolen from a residential Ruawai property between Sunday and Monday.
The firearms were brand new and were not stored securely.
Earlier in the weekend, three firearms and ammunition were stolen from a gun-safe in a garage at a residential Ruatangata West... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns in New Zealand '95% Untraceable' by Police, Says Expert
29 March 2016
New Zealand Herald
Parliament woke with a start when a police bust in Takanini recently netted a handgun and 14 high-powered military style rifles. This firepower is about double what terrorists used in the attack in Paris at the end of 2015 in which 130 people were killed.
The Takanini bust followed police reports that pistols and military-style semi-automatics now make up 14 per cent of the illegal firearms they retrieve. Parliament is also nervous about the recent spate of gun-related... (GunPolicy.org)
New Zealand: Police Have No System to Track Stolen Guns
11 March 2016
Stuff (New Zealand)
Thousands of guns stolen each year in New Zealand are ending up in the arms of gang members but police have no systems in place to track guns or what has been stolen.
Owner of Timaru's Gun City Wayne Golightly said police have told him that more than 100 firearms have been stolen in South Canterbury in the past year and about 2000 across New Zealand.
But police were unable to supply information under the Official Information Act about the number of burglaries... (GunPolicy.org)