The newly-minted Police Minister, Ginny Andersen, has been called on by the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO) to investigate how the previous Minister allowed Police to propose extraordinary fee increases for licensed firearm owners without evidence.
A COLFO analysis has found the proposed fees could only be accurate if Police intended to hire at least 444 full-time staff to administer compliance and license renewals. The Police have not released detailed justifications before public consultations closed on March 2, as had been promised.
COLFO’s analysis uncovered that the fee proposals allocate over 35 hours of work to renewing one firearms license. In COLFO’s experience, the process to issue or renew a license should take no more than 8 hours of Police time, including travel.
“Since the Police haven’t released any numbers, we did the calculations ourselves, and found the highest fee option would see Police profit $700 from every license renewal,” says COLFO spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack.
Very Wrong
“The new Police Minister needs to check the books because something is very wrong. The whole basis for this fee increase is absurd.
“The resources Police plan to allocate to micromanage law-abiding New Zealanders is extraordinary. Gangs run free with firearms they’re 3-D printing in their basement, but farmers will have to pay $730 to Police for the .303 they use to shoot pests.”
“Minister Andersen should get out a calculator and figure out the cost/benefit of having 444 Police staff dedicated to policing law-abiding New Zealanders while gangs shoot at each other on the streets.”
“The next job for the Minister will be addressing the punitive Police culture towards legal firearm owners, and likely instructing Police to redirect some of that significant resource to target real criminals causing harm in communities,” says Hugh Devereux-Mack.
Unhappy Public
Police received more than 6000 submissions last month, mostly from members of the public unhappy with the prohibitively high costs and far-reaching consequences of the proposals.
“After firearm buybacks and screeds of new compliance requirements, Police are now trying to price New Zealanders out of owning a firearm,” says Hugh Devereux-Mack.
“The submissions will show an overwhelming number of issues with the proposed fee increases, not least that the proposals breach the arms act by suggesting people be billed for Police time following a burglary.
Massive Increase
“The item causing the most stress amongst firearm owners is the price they’ll need to pay. Police have proposed license and endorsement fees increase by almost 500% from $126.50 to $730.
“It’s a prohibitive cost for farmers, pest controllers, and people hunting to put food on the table.
“It’s a high-stakes game, and one where public safety is not a priority. Sudden extreme increases in fees risk people opting out of the licensing scheme but keeping their firearm,” says Hugh Devereaux-Mack
For further information contact: Hugh Devereux-Mack. 027 362 0853
A higher fee will discourage people from seeking a licence and start strangling the sport and recreational activities where firearms are used. Claybird shooting, duck shooting, deerstalking, pig hunting, rabbit shooting, rifle range shooting. Why are police meddling with lawful people’s recreation while ram raids, drive-by shootings and other criminal activities are the new norm???
Like Chris Brand, I don’t follow the government – and police – line on firearms. The botched, hurried law in 2019 after the “Ides of March” massacre has resulted in law abiding citizens having legitimate firearms taken off them by the State and gangs and criminals better armed. Have the politicians and police no common sense to see their folly?
When are police going to explain how the mosque killer – not a New Zealander – got a firearm licence?
This whole process .. what is happening, and how it is happening .. smacks of the people behind it suddenly having developed a condition sometimes characterised as “having rocks in their heads”.
Do people think New Zealanders have somehow, suddenly become stupid?
It is difficult to see how Police can now propose the cost of renewing a Firearms Licence has suddenly become so astronomically different from the cost of renewing a Driver Licence?
We have such licensing systems for reasons of public good – to support lawful ownership, possession and use of things like vehicles .. and firearms.
We want to encourage people to engage and remain engaged in the licensing system .. not discourage them.
Even though the act of driving a car is done in plain sight – there is still a level of licensing non-compliance that is difficult to police.
People are not encouraged to walk around with their firearms strapped on their backs. Most firearms ownership, possession and use is kept out-of-sight. This makes routine licensing compliance checks much more difficult to police.
Just like anybody else .. not just in New Zealand, but overseas .. people who become alienated by the passing of laws and regulations they perceive as unfair, unreasonable and unjustified .. are not enamoured towards compliance.
Already, we have seen a so-called Buyback that has resulted in what is believed to be tens of thousands of now-prohibited firearms, that have gone underground.
Increasing Firearms Licence fees can be expected to result in tens of thousands of people deciding not to renew their Licences .. which will surely result in tens of thousands more firearms “disappearing”.
You’d have to have rocks in your head to believe any of this will make New Zealand safer .. and we can all see, none of it has so far, nor do any of us think this will change .. so please remind us, what is the point of it, after all?
Stewart, this is ideology at work, replacing dealing with crime. Lets not forget Hipkins has been an accomplice to Ardern’s policies. he never spoke up at the cabinet table. He was compliant.
If these new costs are implemented there will be more gun related crimes than ever.
The best thing we can do to remedy this situation is vote ACT in October. The current polls show that many voters also have rocks in their heads unfortunately. I hope this situation changes or we are sunk.