New Zealand Struggles To Round Up Banned Firearms Under New Gun Control Law
BY Herschel Smith
4 years, 9 months ago
The giddy celebrations of the American left over the wonderful New Zealand law seem to have subsided, and you don’t hear much about it any more.
It was one of the defining moments as New Zealand grieved after a pair of deadly mosque attacks: a near-unanimous parliamentary vote in April to ban assault-style rifles and similar weapons.
The lawmakers’ move was immediately acclaimed by gun-control advocates worldwide as an example of decisive collective action in a nation unified in horror by the March 15 assaults in Christchurch that left 51 people dead.
Then the momentum began to slow.
Growing opposition from New Zealand’s pro-gun groups has complicated efforts to round up the now-banned firearms under a buyback program. Lawsuits are threatened.
Gun-control advocates argue that compensation rates may not be fair and warn of a possible spike in black-market sales.
The government, meanwhile, is faced with a sobering set of challenges over how to enforce the new law.
There is no national registry for many of the weapons targeted by the ban, including the AR-15 – a semiautomatic rifle that has been used in mass shootings in the United States and is often at the center of American gun-control debates.
As a result, estimates of the numbers of newly banned weapons vary widely. So far, about 700 firearms have been voluntarily surrendered.
Authorities are “operating a little bit in the dark,” said Joe Green, gun-safety specialist and former arms control manager for the New Zealand Police.
[ … ]
Stuart Nash, the minister for police, announced last week that nearly 200 collection events would take place over the next three months in community hubs, including in some of the country’s largest sports stadiums.
“We urge people to stay calm,” Mike Clement, New Zealand Police’s deputy commissioner of national operations, told The Washington Post.
“We acknowledge that you’re a law-abiding citizen and through no fault of your own you now find yourself in possession of firearms that are now illegal,” he said, but he noted that once the amnesty period expires, there is no excuse for holding on to weapons.
[ … ]
But Yasbek pointed out that some of the banned weapons, including AR-15 rifles, fall into Category “A” in the New Zealand licensing system, which means they were not required to be registered in police databases and as such will be impossible to trace.
“These weapons are unlikely to be confiscated by police because they don’t know of their existence,” she said. “These will become black-market weapons if their owners choose not to comply with the law and become criminals instead.”
That’ll do it. Call them “criminals.” That’ll make them turn in the guns. I’m sure their feelings will be hurt by the indictment.
On the other hand, if you declare them all criminals, what have they got left to lose? Why not convert them all to fully automatic? If they’re going to traffic in the black market now, what’s to stop them from acquiring more powerful weaponry?
That may be a less than fortuitous turn of events for the New Zealand police, yes? Too bad. Should have thought about that beforehand.
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On July 1, 2019 at 9:38 pm, Fred said:
“We acknowledge that you’re a law-abiding citizen and through no fault of your own you now find yourself in possession of firearms that are now illegal,” he [Mike Clement, New Zealand Police] said
Well that’s not entirely true. If Mr. Clement isn’t swinging from a tree by sundown THEN it IS the citizen’s fault. Because, hey, after the first felony the rest are free.
On July 2, 2019 at 6:49 am, ragman said:
This is a preview of what will happen here when the Bolshies take over. An attempt at confiscation based on registration databases. The Captain is exactly right. If we’re going to be instant felons, might as well have the fun switch. Seriously though, there is absolutely no reason why anyone that wants a non traceable weapon shouldn’t have one. Private sales or build your own, it doesn’t really matter. Do it now, it’s later than we think.
On July 2, 2019 at 7:06 am, Talktome said:
Our own collectivists are taking notes. They probably need a few events in quick succession, manufactured or not, to really push for banning, then they’ll soften their stance and settle on common sense registration for safety or some such nonsense. Then, all bets are off and the stage is set for criminalization and confiscation. If a few (relatively speaking) die not cooperating with the “law”, heck, that’s a feature, not a bug. When, in the course of human events…
On July 2, 2019 at 8:54 am, Frank Clarke said:
I thought it was difficult-to-impossible to convert a semi AR-15 to full-auto. Did I get that wrong?
On July 2, 2019 at 9:29 am, June J said:
“Joe Green, gun-safety specialist and former arms control manager for the New Zealand Police.”
That there is a position of “arms control manager” for the national police tells you everything about the future of freedom in NZ.
On July 2, 2019 at 9:35 am, June J said:
@talktome:
Taking notes? They’ve already been successful in the process of making criminals out of formerly law abiding citizens by making it illegal to own a firearms accessory (bump stocks) and they are working on the next one (silencers/suppressors whichever you prefer to call them).
I’m sure somewhere they are already creating a database of 4473’s, cross referencing credit card purchases of firearms, ammunition and other related equipment. Illegal you say? Ha! So were secret courts authorizing spying/surveillance on American citizens, until it was no longer illegal thanks to willing globalist Republicans.
On July 2, 2019 at 10:55 am, ragman said:
Frank: not that difficult but highly “illegal”. If the communists get their way there won’t be any difference between possessing an AR15 or a select fire one. Felonies all around for the Great Unwashed.
On July 2, 2019 at 8:27 pm, John said:
At the end of WWII I read that after the Greeks finished running the Germans out
they would joke about going out often to “oil their flower beds”.
I bet there is still a hell of a lot of interesting stuff up in those mountain caves
that only some shepherds know about.
On July 3, 2019 at 1:24 pm, Gryphon said:
Yep, just like the Connecticut, New York, Maryland and New Jersey ‘laws’, the Enforcement of Registration/Bans is a whole ‘nother Animal… I suspect that what is going through the (stunted) minds of the kiwi kommies is how are they going to handle the Results of massive Non-compliance with their ‘Buy-Backs’.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Two, and only two Choices face them – Ignore the Non-Compliance, or “Make Examples” of some non-compliant Citizens. Then suffer the Consequences.