“The full registration of firearms is a wasteful and dangerous exercise and ACT will repeal it,” says ACT’s Firearms spokesperson Nicole McKee.
“This is not a good use of taxpayer money. Overseas experience has shown that full registration of firearms doesn’t work. The cost of Canada’s firearms register blew out to over $2 billion, achieved only limited participation from firearms owners, and was then dumped in 2011. This one is currently budgeted at $208 million, who knows what the final cost will be.
“This is the result of the Arms Legislation Act that was rushed through Parliament in June 2020 by Labour and NZ First. ACT was the only party in Parliament to stand up for firearms owners and vote against the Bill then, and we will continue to stand up for firearms owners now.
“The Police Minister says “This is a good way to find out where the guns are.” The police already know where the licensed owners’ guns are. They’ve been in our homes, they’ve interviewed our families, and they’ve checked and approved our security. They know exactly where we are, who we are, and who we live with.
“The register can only work if everyone complies, including gang members and criminals. There is no chance of this happening, Police answered an OIA admitting that 46 per cent of seized firearms had no serial number recorded at all.
“Written Parliamentary Questions also show that 95 per cent of firearm charges are laid against people who are not licensed.
“Gun crime in New Zealand is out of control, but creating a register will do nothing to fix this and once again shows the Government’s focus is on law-abiding firearms owners rather than gangs.
“The Government must abandon its attempt to register every firearm in the country. Centralising this information within an agency which has shown time and again that it cannot be trusted to manage it, cannot be allowed to proceed.
“Registration will not keep our communities safer. It’s a money pit that Labour are hell-bent on pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into.”
Nicole McKee – firearm register – not a good use of taxpayer money
Just what do the police hope to achieve. The undeniable criteria is the person. Is he/she fit to own a firearm. Vote party vote is going to ACT.
I have been heavily vetted to own and use a firearm. I have been deemed fit and proper to carry out lawful use of firearms. I should now be allowed to use any type I want but I cant. Why is that?? Am I not a fit and proper person?? Police believing the gun is the problem is wrong and if they still believe the vetting system is not good enough, then they should make it even harder
What is the point of knowing how many and what type of guns I have. This will do nothing in stopping illegal use. It is however a feel good continued knee jerk response to CHCH that gives all the downtown latte drinkers a safe sense of security. Nothing could be further from the truth. Guns and owners are going further to ground than they already were after the buy back
Responsible, licensed owners of firearms are extremely concerned with gun safety.
They do not want to harm anyone else or be harmed by anyone else.
They do not want to be endangered by armed criminals.
People willingly complied with the licensing system when it was administered fairly and reasonably.
This new system is not fair or reasonable. It discriminates against law abiding citizens who have not harmed anyone else and have no desire to harm anyone else.
It wrongly assumes that all owners of firearms are likely to misuse them withour any evidence to validate this prejudiced assumption.
A huge amount of taxpayers incomes will be diverted to managing this register.
Will this expense help people deal with the costs of living?
Will it provide better medical services?
Will it feed hungry children?
Will it improve their education?
Will it make the roads safer?
Will it stop criminals from harming us and our property?
How will anyone benefit from having a record of what firearms law abiding people own in a government computer?
The people in government already spend much more than the taxpayers can afford to provide. They keep borrowing more and more for struggling working people to service and try to repay in the future.
How does spending HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of more borrowed money on a register of firearms owned by people who are not causing any problems for other people make any sense?
Firearms crimes have increased tenfold since the buy back after the Christchurch massacre.Having a firearms registration scheme reinvented will make no difference whatever, it will most likely increase the number of firearms going underground to resurface later in another crime.
Labour are doing well in self destruction presently. Who do they think licensed firearms owners are? Certainly not irresponsible like themselves. It’s sad the media haven’t picked this up to correctly inform the country. Thankfully the time is coming when ACT will correct this insanity and save the country a large sum of money.