An Auckland pensioner and his daughter have been caught for legally buying 13 guns for the Comancheros motorcycle gang.
It's the latest of dozens of discoveries by police of licensed gun owners buying for gangs who cannot legally purchase guns.
It was validation of good old-fashioned police work. Over the past 4 years the police have analysed more than 350,000 sales records looking for suspicious patterns of spending.
They then correlate the purchases with the records of gun owners, and they discover the gang's straw buyers.
But to me, it also validates the strengthening of the laws back in 2019 after the Christchurch mosque massacre.
That saw the banning of military-style semi-automatics, stricter rules on the “fit and proper” test to hold a license, the establishment of a gun registry, and a set of rules designed to ensure gun clubs and ranges are safe places.
At the time, gun owners made out that the laws criminalised legal gun owners which was a massive over-exaggeration. It criminalised a type of gun only. A type of gun that non MSSA owners find intimidating and unnecessary. A gun that turns any idiot into a killing machine as long as they can handle the recoil.
And the new rules also told the citizens of New Zealand that ownership of a gun is not a right but a privilege that must be earned.
But they also say that once it's earnt there's no problem at all as long as it's not a military-style automatic.
And slowly it's beginning to make sense to even the law's hardest detractors.
Act campaigned on a full repeal of the legislation and the minister in charge is Act's Nicole Mckee
She is also the former spokesperson for the council of licensed firearms owners.
She was also interviewed in the paper yesterday where she said gun owners hoping for a rollback will be disappointed.
Act campaigned on greater access to MSSAs and scrapping the gun registry, but these didn’t make it into coalition agreements.
Instead, the National-Act agreement committed to repealing the regulations around gun clubs and shooting ranges - which Mckee has now backed off from doing completely - a review of the registry and a rewrite of the arms act.
But, at the moment, the laws are being seen to work. And here's the rub. If you support getting tough on crime then you must also support getting tough on gun ownership.
Andrew Dickens is a broadcaster with Newstalk ZB. - where this article was sourced.
They then correlate the purchases with the records of gun owners, and they discover the gang's straw buyers.
But to me, it also validates the strengthening of the laws back in 2019 after the Christchurch mosque massacre.
That saw the banning of military-style semi-automatics, stricter rules on the “fit and proper” test to hold a license, the establishment of a gun registry, and a set of rules designed to ensure gun clubs and ranges are safe places.
At the time, gun owners made out that the laws criminalised legal gun owners which was a massive over-exaggeration. It criminalised a type of gun only. A type of gun that non MSSA owners find intimidating and unnecessary. A gun that turns any idiot into a killing machine as long as they can handle the recoil.
And the new rules also told the citizens of New Zealand that ownership of a gun is not a right but a privilege that must be earned.
But they also say that once it's earnt there's no problem at all as long as it's not a military-style automatic.
And slowly it's beginning to make sense to even the law's hardest detractors.
Act campaigned on a full repeal of the legislation and the minister in charge is Act's Nicole Mckee
She is also the former spokesperson for the council of licensed firearms owners.
She was also interviewed in the paper yesterday where she said gun owners hoping for a rollback will be disappointed.
Act campaigned on greater access to MSSAs and scrapping the gun registry, but these didn’t make it into coalition agreements.
Instead, the National-Act agreement committed to repealing the regulations around gun clubs and shooting ranges - which Mckee has now backed off from doing completely - a review of the registry and a rewrite of the arms act.
But, at the moment, the laws are being seen to work. And here's the rub. If you support getting tough on crime then you must also support getting tough on gun ownership.
Andrew Dickens is a broadcaster with Newstalk ZB. - where this article was sourced.
10 comments:
I will wait "with bated breath" to see who responds to this article - especially those who are, have been and still are legally licensed gun owners.
Up to the Christchurch Mosque shooting the question has to be asked - what Legally licensed gun owner has "run amok" with ANY fire arm, that has endangered the General Public?
The last time was at Aramoana Beach, on the Coast from Dunedin. BUT following that incident, did the NZ Police "go full demented on a and/ or any gun" seeking removal from Public hands.
Yes changes have been made to Gun Laws, Ownership, storage of firearms, know this from association with gun owners.
Finally me thinks Ms Mckee may face "a backlash from the Gun Owners of NZ with her flip flop".
This is 80% BS. Too many unsubstantiated claims without any factual, verifiable evidence. What the Dickens!
Andrew you’re dreamin’. Criminals will always be able to access firearms via the black market. Licenses, rules and regulations are only for honest people and are an added burden on our already over inflated public service.
Hazel Modisett is quite right.
The reason the US Constitution contains the right to keep and arm bears is not so that citizens can hold firearms to go hunting or for home defence.
This provision exists so that if any government gets too big for its boots and starts infringing on the rights of “We the People” in an unacceptable manner, the citizens possess the means to change the government, by force if necessary.
The fear of dictatorial elites everywhere.
Anecdotally, it seems like gun crime has become worse since the law was tightened up. And once again new laws just make it more difficult and expensive for honest law abiding citizens to live their lives freely.
Absolute rubbish Andrew.
"If you support getting tough on crime then you must also support getting tough on gun ownership".
Real Marxist logic right there eh.
I am "the person"- who posted the comment - June 10, 2024 AT 5.1.5 PM".
Having come back to see what other comments have been posted - wow!
I add - since the Mosque shootings, how many incidents have occurred in NZ, where a firearm has been either - presented, used, or found in that hands of "the wrong person". Now in relation to that comment, I state that the major of "end user" was Maori! Now did anyone read in a NZMSM paper/on-line posting/ radio talk back as to who the "culprit/s" were - NO - that would be racist. Has any "white, legal firearm owner" been caught misusing his/her firearm lately - NO - strange that!
For many years the Legal Firearm owner has been "under pressure, predominately from Police" to ensure gun safety more so "locking it up in a a secure place"- hence at the back of the hot water cupboard now became a NO -NO - hence the arrival of imported gun safes.
Now here is an interesting 'story' - on the basis of above, I am aware of a Licensed Gun Collector, who followed the rules, to come home one day and find that a burglary had occurred, namely his gun safe had been broken into, all guns removed - and I am reliably informed - they have never been recovered. The question - "how did the burglar's know", because the Gun Collector, did not make it public what his hobby was. That came out after the burglary.
Again, to reiterate, there are People here in NZ who would dearly love to see ALL firearms banned. Most have a socialist agenda - just like Jacinda did - Socialism has no place for armed people, who can rise against the Komintern Leadership.
That sounds awfully like some crackpot conspiracy theory, Hazel.......
It's JUST rational enough for me to pass but nota bene that Breaking Views will not be allowed to become a platform for conspiracy theorists from the outer fringes of sanity.
But, at the moment, the laws are being seen to work.
If you call gun crime increading massively working.
But police finding straw buyers is good, and look they can do it without a register in place.
The only thing the gun ban did is prevent shooters participating in the sport they safely enjoyed for years. It's police doing their job, or not that makes the difference.
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