Update on Arms Legislation Bill

Wednesday afternoon Michael and I presented to the Parliamentary Select Committee considering the Arms Legislation Bill. 

You can watch Michael’s submission and us both answering questions from MPs on behalf of COLFO below.

I also presented a separate submission later in the day. You can watch my oral submission below.

Interestingly, despite having a seat on the committee, NZ First were a no show.  ACT’s David Seymour has issued a media release, and speculates that the Select Committee snub could be a sign that the Party is going to pull the plug on the Government’s Bill. 

Why we oppose the register

Over the last few weeks, a couple of journalists have asked me why we are opposing the register of firearms, as proposed in the Bill, so strongly. They think it is just an extension of the current information you must give to the Police to get a licence.

But the register does much more than that.  Under the Bill, you will be required to register where (1) you, as the licence holder live; and (2) the location and details of every firearm and every part you possess (not just own but any you have on your property, in your car, or have in your possession).

And then the real issue comes down to the practicalities of updating the register. As our lawyers illustrate below, every time you move a firearm (or part) to another address, you will need to notify this change to the register! For example:

• Going for a weekend hunt? As the draft law is currently worded, it will require you to notify the register where you intend to locate the firearm including where you may stay on the Friday night, and then on Saturday night (and if it is different, it would need to be done in real time – from the middle of the bush!). Good luck complying with that.
• Taking your firearm down the road to assist with pest control? Again, you’d have to notify the register of the change in location, and then back when you bring it home.
• Lending your firearm to another licenced firearms owner to hunt?  The draft law would require you to notify the register that it will be ‘transferred’, and then they will have to update with changes in possession and location.
• Putting your firearm into a club safe (so it can be used in a competition)? You’ll have to notify that transfer to whoever is then in possession (but it is not clear under the Bill how you would actually do this).
• Transferring a fellow licensed firearms owner‘s firearm in your car?  You’ll notify the register that you intend to have this possession (including all the details of the firearm), the owner would have to notify that it has been ‘temporary transferred’, and then provide updates of location during the transfer.
• Accidentally leave a part behind in your mate’s car? To stay lawful, you’d need to notify the register that you have temporarily transferred this to your friend, and then notify the register once you get it back in a couple of days. Your friend would also have to update the register of their possession and when they hand it back. But if they don’t have a licence, they are committing a crime by you leaving it in their car and be up for a $10,000 fine.

As you can see, just like the technical banning of steel shotgun shot (which we successfully forced the Police Minister to change), the Government’s proposals appear based on an aversion and politics, rather than evidence and safety.

There is no evidence that a register does anything to increase public safety – international evidence shows that it does nothing to restrict availability to criminals – they just don’t register their firearms.

But it will cost you – the Minister has indicated that licensed firearm owners will contribute to the cost of the register, even though its benefits are questionable.

And it could put you and your family at risk. There are significant concerns about the attractiveness of the registry to criminals – it will basically provide a shopping list for who has what, where and (if the Police require it) information on how secure they are. This year there have been significant data breaches that have led to New Zealanders’ personal data becoming publicly available including personal health data from the Ministry of Health, identification data from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, and accidental data uploads from Treasury.

As you can see, there is a lot more than meets the eye with this register and with your support we are blowing the whistle on why the Arms Legislation Bill should not pass.