Law abiding firearms owners – as deemed "fit and proper" and issued with licenses by the New Zealand Police -- are once again being targeted through non-legislated guidelines being issued to curtail the legal use of firearms in this country.
The definition of the legal length of a rifle is being redefined to that which can be fired at its shortest, without compensators/suppressors/attachments effectively making thousands of us criminals overnight. The current/proposed guidelines are contrary to the spirit of the law, and emails received from the previous licensing and vetting manager Joe Green who stated that measurement is done at the rifle's longest length. This specifically applied to MSSA rifles with collapsing stocks.
We fully understand that the government and the police are working to maintain peace and order in the country, and to specifically curtail the proliferation of illegal firearms -- it is there that resources should be focused rather than on law abiding, mature, respectful, responsible and "fit & proper" members of society.
Any criminal can illegally obtain a firearm through theft or from the black-market, saw off the barrel and/or stock of a shotgun or rifle and use it offensively and/or for nefarious activities. No amount of police guidelines or legislation will stop a criminal from doing what is contrary to law, especially when the judiciary see fit to hand out laughable and obscenely inappropriate sentences for offences.
We ask you to please acknowledge that we – law abiding, mature, responsible, fit & proper, licensed firearms owners are the least of your worries. We just want to be able to enjoy our sport, our shooting disciplines and our hunting without unduly being harassed and penalised for the actions of a marginal section of society.
We ask that more resources are placed at the disposal of the police to focus on the proactive prevention of crime, and solving that especially related to firearms in order to minimise or rid our streets of illegal firearms.
We ask that sensible guidelines are put in place in relation to the impact it has on over 250,000 firearms license holders who work within the law rather than against it. We want to cooperate, and yet you surely will understand our reticence and opposition to things that do not make sense or are unwarranted.
We ask for sensible sentencing and serious penalties to deter criminals from doing what they do -- especially when it comes to offences relating firearms theft and use. The recent high profile case regarding the theft of firearms in Dunedin highlights the laughable, "wet bus ticket" penalties meted by the judiciary to those involved.
