14 September 2016

Tougher gun laws

A poll commissioned by TVNZ today indicates that 83% of New Zealanders feels a need for tougher gun laws. What this reveals is how poorly informed the general public is in regard to what is required to own a firearm in New Zealand.

In order to lawfully own a firearm a person first has to attend a lecture and pass a test to demonstrate that they understand the safety rules around using a firearm and also the legal constraints to firearm ownership. They then have to be vetted by Police to ensure that they are a “fit and proper person” to own a firearm and they have adequate secure storage for any firearm that they may own. Once these prerequisites are satisfied they may be granted a licence.
Ownership of pistols and restricted firearms as well as military style semi automatics require further vetting and much more stringent security for these firearms.

Invariably the shooting incident that occur in this country, which receive so much media attention, are not perpetrated by lawful licensed firearm owners, but by unlicensed criminals who have no regard for any laws. Making tougher laws that only impact law abiding citizens will have no impact on the level of gun crime.

Both Australia and the United Kingdom which have far tougher gun control laws than New Zealand also experience much greater levels of firearm crime.

The only way to reduce firearm related crime is to have sensible deterrents and adequate resources for those agencies such as Police and Customs whose job it is to deal with criminal activity.

ends

© Scoop Media