Gun Laws in New Zealand
Nearly 250,000 [1] licensed firearms owners own and use New Zealand’s estimated 1.5 million [1] firearms.[2] As in Australia, but unlike the US and Canada, gun laws usually gain the support of both major parties before they are passed. Guns are not currently a major political issue, but have been restricted immediately after the Aramoana massacre in 1990, the Scottish Dunblane and Australian Port Arthur massacres in 1996.
Gun licences are issued at the discretion of the police in New Zealand provided the police consider the person to be of good standing[citation needed] and without criminal, psychiatric or drug issues as well as meeting other conditions such as having suitable storage facilities. They must be issued for a valid reason[citation needed]. Several different categories of licenses are permitted, with the lowest one permitting access to restricted semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, with limited capacity, while the higher levels which permit fully automatic weaponry and pistols are rarely issued to civilians.
Various governments[vague], groups[vague] behind the Thorp reports[citation needed], and the New Zealand Police[3] have pushed for various forms of universal firearm registration. This has currently not succeeded but current maneuverings[needs update] by the New Zealand Police are attempting to reclassify large numbers of ‘A’ category firearms as ‘E’ category (military-style semi-automatics), which requires them to be registered[speculation?]. This has been done though even by their own admission[4] the New Zealand Police cannot reliably register the current military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) firearms.
In March 2009 the New Zealand police bid to reclassify certain types of civilian semi-automatic firearms was overturned by the New Zealand High Court as a result of a legal challenge mounted by the New Zealand National Shooters Association (NSA) president Richard Lincoln.[citation needed]
The lights are on, but no one’s home.
Killers among us are the problem NOT the tool they choose. The highest body counts involve other than guns.
Thanks LRoggy I posted before reading your post.
Freegards!
(population nearly 5m now) meaning a little over 5% are licensed gun owners (regulate owners rather than guns there -Red Flags???) and it still happened.
The US has approx. 43% gun ownership. (Would be more if it weren’t for all those boating accidents)