COFO Press release
COLFO says a survey by Gun Control NZ shows 2.8 million people will be furious when their support for a firearm registry proves to have been misplaced, as it was for the 2019 firearm confiscation.
COLFO spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack says whatever form the new Government takes, it will be responsible for the firearm registry introduced by the current Labour Government.
“The success or failure of the registry at reducing gang shootings will be determined during the next Government, as will public patience for firearms laws that target good people instead of the bad.”
“If a new Government led by National and ACT keeps the registry, they will inevitably let down roughly 2.8m people who have believed political rhetoric that it will make New Zealanders safer.
“The failure to reduce gun violence, at such a high cost, and with constant risk of data breaches, will come home to roost not only on the people who conceived and supported the idea, but those who lacked the courage to stop it.
“It is ludicrous that so soon after the promise and failure of the buyback to make New Zealanders safer, we are repeating the same mistake.”
A Gun Control NZ survey at the time of the semi-automatic ban and gun buyback scheme in 2019 showed eerily similar results , with 71% of people supporting the policies.
Buy-back Failure
The policies have not made New Zealanders safer as was claimed. Alarming firearm incidents continue in public. New Zealanders don’t feel safer either – a survey by the NZ Herald in June showed that two thirds of Kiwis are more concerned about being a victim of crime than they were five years ago.
The recent survey from Gun Control NZ showed that 71% of people support the firearm registry. However, only half (53%) of people said banning semi-automatics and introducing the registry has made them feel safer.
Devereux-Mack says public support does not mean a law will be successful at making Kiwis safer.
“People will always support things they think might help, but whether they actually feel safer is entirely different. Time has shown the buyback made no difference to the safety of New Zealanders. The programme was a failure, with cost blowouts and gang members still shooting each other in the street.
“The Gun Control survey is actually measuring public desperation for real action against gangs and criminals.
“This must be the last time such hyped and horrendously mistargeted policies are tried. When the registry fails, it will prove once and for all that more laws for licensed firearm owners is not the solution to gun crime.”
Footnote: For further information contact COLFO Spokesperson: Hugh Devereux-Mack. 027 362 0853
Hugh Devereux-Mack
Note to editors: If Police claim that licensed firearm owners are the main source of firearms for criminals, they must provide the evidence to support it.
Police have stated that the registry is needed because the majority of firearms held by criminals are intentionally diverted by licensed firearm owners (also known as straw purchasing). According to available data, this is not true. Police have not supplied any new evidence to support the claim.
COLFO recently asked the Police for information on the number of seized firearms that have been traced to licensed firearm owners, after Police Association President Chris Cahill also claimed criminals sourced most of their firearms from licensed owners. Police said the request could not be fulfilled because they do not collect the data. Therefore, the Police do not have data to support what they are telling journalists. COLFO has complained to the Ombudsman.
Historic material provided by Police in response to OIA requests shows that only one effort has been made to track the source of firearms seized from criminals. That was a study of seized firearms from a 6-month period in 2015, which found only 10% came from licensed owners either through burglary (4%) or sourced from individuals illegally (6%).
Thank goodness for COLFO to challenge this obsessive government campaign to get disarm the law abiding public of sporting firearms. Government ignores the gangs and shootings. I see a shooting in Palmerston North!
There have been multiple drive-by shootings in one night in Auckland with police making no arrests on most occasions.
Why does Police head boss Chris Cahill and government keep targeting law obeying citizens who own firearms for legitimate sporting purposes while not dealing to gangs and criminals illegally possessing firearms?
Case of Nero (Hipkins) fiddles while Rome burns methinks.
Police and Justice Minister Ginny Anderson made a complete fool of herself on the radio earlier this week when she claimed the new register would allow the police to know where all the illegal guns are. Of course the Police already know where all the lawfully owned firearms are because they have our firearms licence details, they do not need to know the make model and serial number and whether our lawfully owned guns have detachable magazines or not as that does not improve public safety one jot.
It should be abundantly clear to even the dimmest bulb in government and the police that cataloguing illicitly held firearms is to put it politely, challenging. But no, the Minister ploughed ahead spouting the rubbish fed to her by the likes of Chris Cahill. She is evidently way out of her depth and needs to be replaced by someone who actually knows what they are talking about like Nicole McKee.
Has the Queen Street shooting range been approved by the Commissioner of Police? If not, is it a temporary (expedient) range?
People particularly licensed firearm owners need to
remember that we have & had firearm registration already.
Remember the “E” cat registration???? What happened to all the legally owned firearms that LAW ABIDING NZ’ers owned. THEY WERE CONFISCATED BY A LEFT WING MARXIST BUNCH OF DICTATORS. !!!!!
And THAT is what REGISTRATION is all about. One step away from confiscation. The Forces-of-Evil do not want us thinking NZ’er to have firearms. Gangs & crims are fine but not us who can think for ourselves & can deal with adversity IF it arises.
Unfortunately the majority of voters do not understand the negative issues with registration. Same with removing GST from fruit & veges. Labour are struggling with good policies as we get closer to the election, unlike ACT who are clear thinkers that we badly need in politics.