POLICE INTRANSIGENCE?

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The persistence with which police are delaying the issue of new firearm licences and the renewal of existing ones (a whole year to just renew!!) has spurred a Member of Parliament to question the Police Minister about the delays.

We applaud the improved vetting now being undertaken by the Police after their disgraceful failures of the past (failures which directly led to the mass homicides in New Zealand, of 1990 and 2019) but we cannot applaud their administration.

It is clear that a significant level of under-resourcing, and/or failure to anticipate the resources required to meet the new vetting requirements shows a serious disconnect within police national headquarters.

This is no doubt because the new Firearms Authority remains under police control and appears to be subject to Vote: Police in the Parliamentary financial allocations.

Sporting Shooters president, Neville Dodd is calling for a re-appraisal of the lack of ‘independence’ of the new firearm authority and he records that the intention for full firearm registration is doomed to fail, as it has in every overseas jurisdiction where it has been tried.

Criminals don’t register their firearms, and registration is just a stepping stone to confiscation, at an establishment cost to the taxpayer of a million dollars a week!

Doesn’t this all remind you of ‘flogging a dead horse’?

COMMONWEALTH GAMES – no shooting competitors

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New Zealand athletes are making their mark at the Commonwealth Games and we wish our Kiwi competitors every success.

On past history, more success would have been expected, had the shooting sports been included in these Commonwealth games, but a decision of the hosts, (living in the former ‘nation of riflemen’), not to hold any sport-shooting events, deprives not only New Zealand Commonwealth Games teams of an opportunity to compete, but also deprives our female shooters from opportunities to compete with (based on their previous performances) a high expectation of winning more medals for New Zealand.

While it is praiseworthy that India has offered to provide venues for alternative shooting events, it is an indictment on the once-proud history of the United Kingdom of its development and promotion of competitive shooting sports.

Motor-racing legend and noted clay target shooter Sir Jackie Stewart must be choking on his breakfast tea over this!

Full firearm registration – a colossal central government waste of taxpayers’ money which can never ‘work’

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Recent claims made to the effect that the implementation of a firearm registration system will contribute to a reduction in violence with firearms is nonsense.

Comparison with motor vehicle registration reminds us of the 20,000 motor vehicles reportedly stolen annually, some of which are known to be used in violent crime, and to the 10,000 casualties (of which some 400 are fatal) resulting from road traffic accidents.

The fact that a majority of the illicit firearms recovered by police have had their serial numbers removed invalidates the argument that firearm registration will solve crimes because even if sophisticated (and expensive) technology for recovering serial numbers is available, police have told us (a) that firearms are rarely left at the scene of a crime, and (b) they rarely need evidential material from firearms for solving serious crime.

It seems our police have not learned from the failures of firearms registration systems in our past or in other jurisdictions.

Finally, heavy penalties exist for illegally selling firearms under current law, extending to imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to $20,000.

So, why incur New Zealand in the budgeted $200,000,000.00 cost when our society has other more urgent needs for taxpayer funds?

Sporting Shooters condemn mass youth walkout from Parliament

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If the youth walkout from Parliament of aspiring MPs who refused to listen to a speech about firearms is an example of how our future MP’s think and act, we should be concerned, says Sporting Shooters Association President Neville Dodd. Lacking moral fibre, lacking the ability to listen to unpleasant truths and instead allowing their poor upset feelings to determine their pathetic behaviour, is not a good look.

As one SSANZ member said, “My grandfather went and fought in the battle of Passchendaele at the same sort of age of these immature and spineless would-be MP’s. While he had to endure terrible conditions on the crammed troopship trip over and unspeakable experiences on the western front before being invalided back wounded, these spineless clowns can’t even listen to a speech that makes them uncomfortable!

Sadly, it’s a sign of the stupid wokeness that has infected our society where it’s not acceptable to now tell the truth if that upsets someone. These poor young people now need to be molly coddled and protected from anything unpleasant. It’s time they grew up! My grandfather fought in a battle with real firearms – how terrible – he fought for the very freedoms that these bunch of spineless brats are wanting to take away from us.”

The youth MP who stuck to his guns and delivered his speech in the face of this pre planned disrespectful spectacle is to be congratulated for his moral fibre and courage.

It is time for a rethink of where we are heading as a nation, one that will be lead by people with moral fibre and courage, who are prepared to listen to opposing points of view, not those driven by woke infested nonsense.

Gun Control Advocate Dr Hera Cook wants to ban advertising of firearms

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In an interview on RNZ Dr Hera Cook suggested that since the Christchurch Massacre in 2019 gun crime was not really getting worse, it only seemed that it was because it was being more frequently reported in Media as police cracked down on gangs. She then went on to advocate the banning of advertising of firearms as a way to reduce gun crime.

As Sporting Shooters Association President Neville Dodd says, “Firearms have on average been involved in about 70 deaths a year, 10 homicides and 60 suicides. Motor vehicles on the other hand account for nearly 400 deaths a year and thousands of serious injuries. Would Ms Cook also advocate banning car advertising?’ 

Could she tell us how banning firearm advertising would influence gun crime when from 2005 to date 11,536 firearms have been stolen by criminals and are now circulating in the underworld. Criminals don’t buy guns from guns shops or licensed owners, they steal them, manufacture them or import them along with their smuggled narcotics.

The current spate of gun violence perpetrated in our largest city is not caused by firearms owned by licensed firearm owners but is fueled by tensions and turf wars between rival gangs. Hence the solution to that problem needs to focus on gangs and why people join them rather than placing more restrictions on lawful firearm owners and their ability to enjoy their sport or pastime.

COLFO Worried Police Have Misinformed Another Minister

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Press Release: COLFO

The Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO) says the new Police Minister, Chris Hipkins, should ask the Police for evidence on how gangs are obtaining firearms. Research previously released by COLFO from Police intelligence reports shows Police have no idea where criminals get 82% of their firearms.

COLFO Spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack says it’s been shown that gangs are obtaining their firearms by importing them, through home manufacture, or out of the pool of tens of thousands of illegally-owned firearms not handed in during the 2019 gun buyback.

“We know gangs have smuggled guns into the country with drugs, and Police have seized home-manufactured firearms from criminals. Gangs have a pool of guns they never handed in during the buyback, and if they do want more it’s as easy as … adding a couple to the next drug shipment.”

Additionally, a recent investigation by the National Organised Crime Group found that a man believed to be a patched member of the Head Hunters allegedly purchased guns for gang members despite having his firearms license revoked.

“Police said the man still had his license card, which he used to buy the firearms. It makes you wonder how many other gang members still have them due to sloppy firearms administration from Police.”

Deveruex-Mack says it’s obvious Police are not telling the Minister the full story, and COLFO will continue their best efforts to advise the current Police Minister of the real situation.

“COLFO wrote a letter to previous Police Minister Poto Williams in September 2021 to advise her that it had discovered Police cannot find the source of 82% of the firearms it seizes, and provided evidence that showed only 6% of seized firearms came from legal owners, with 4% being stolen from legal owners.”

Devereux-Mack says the Minister has also been ill-advised that a firearms register will solve the problem, as the serial numbers the register relies on are almost invariably removed on firearms seized from gangs.

“COLFO revealed from an OIA request that Police have admitted “source tracing of firearms is very difficult where seizures of firearms from gan gs almost invariably have serial numbers removed.”

Devereux-Mack says the evidence shows Police have little basis for the claims they have briefed the Police Minister on, but recognises that Police failings to enforce law and order on gangs ultimately means they turn to licensed firearm owners as an easy target.

“Again, Police are choosing to target licensed firearm owners because our community of law abiding, vetted citizens is the easiest place to look. We hope the Minister seeks more answers from Police and ensures their efforts are put in the right direction”.

“Keeping us safe?”

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 Superintendent Karyn Malthus says, ‘Keeping firearms owners safe is a key focus for Police’. Yeah Right!
“Safe from who?”, asks Neville Dodd President of the Sporting Shooters Association.
From our perspective the biggest threat and the most damage to firearm owners in New Zealand unquestionably comes from the present government and Police.
Between them they have marginalised the firearm community, confiscated and destroyed treasured and historic firearms, made it harder to obtain a firearms licence, not forgetting year long delays in licence renewals, carried out home invasions, the destruction of licensed owners property, produced regulations that will close shooting clubs and ranges, and put owners at risk by neglecting to secure their addresses and personal details.
In addition they have made it harder for landowners to control pest animals on their property.  Next we face the Registration of all firearms with the inherent risks that poses for law abiding owners to say nothing of the huge impost on the taxpayer ($1 million per week).
At the same time as all of this the number of shootings of civilians by police appears to be on the increase.
So superintendent we can do without the focus of Police, thank you very much.
REGISTRATION TODAY = CONFISCATION TOMORROW
WHAT COMES NEXT?  A POLICE STATE.
Know your history

Firearms License Security Breach – it’s worse than initially revealed

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The report in the NZ Herald today that the documents stolen from the abandoned Auckland Central Police Station in May actually spanned a much longer time frame, 2003 to 2018, has further angered licensed firearm owners.

As Sporting Shooters President Neville Dodd explains “This is a very serious security breach of sensitive information which now has the potential to affect thousands more lawful firearm owners. It would appear to cover a period much greater than the Police first advised and covers a number of license renewal cycles. This is by far the worst security breach in NZ firearm history and is all due to Police negligence.

“We demand that those responsible for this negligence, that puts the security of licensed firearm owners and their families at risk, be held to account”. Said Dodd.
It further illustrates why licensed firearm owners are so opposed to the planned full firearm register, that will cost $1 Million per week, as police have now shown on a number of occasions that they are not capable of protecting private and sensitive information.

Police followed up with their own media release:

Police operate a decentralised firearms licensing office model in each policing district. Auckland City a district has 5,602 firearms licence holders as at 1 April 2022. Note the following media release from this afternoon. 

Superintendent Karyn Malthus, Auckland City District Commander:

Police are continuing to analyse more than 4000 documents that were stolen and later recovered from the old Auckland Central Police station. 

As part of this, Police have identified over 2000 documents dated between 2003 and 2018. Of this, 444 data sheets containing names and address details of firearms licence holders have been identified and Police are engaged in notifying them.

The other approximately 1500 documents recorded only address details, which means further collation and analysis is required to understand how many individuals those documents actually relate to.

Police are continuing to work through contacting the people that have been affected by this breach.

As Police have previously proactively released, there have been two firearms related burglaries in Auckland Central since the Police burglary occurred. 

Offenders were apprehended in both instances and there has not been any link identified between those incidents and the Vincent Street burglary.

Police continue to undertake daily monitoring of any incidents involving firearm licence holders, which includes theft or burglary reports.

There remains no known organised crime link established by our investigation into the burglary at this time. Police can advise that there have been no incidents linked to information obtained as a result of the burglary.

Police have established a dedicated 0800 line for firearms owners who wish to discuss the incident, 0800 462 379 along with the email address Vincent.Support@police.govt.nz

Why is Auckland so bad?

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Greater Auckland has the lowest rate of legal firearm ownership in the country with less than 3 % of the population being licensed, compared with 10.48 % of the population being licensed to own firearms in Southland. Yet South Auckland has a far higher crime rate of 5.8 robbery offences per 10,000 residents when compared with Southland with a rate of only 1.3 such offences.

As Neville Dodd, President of the Sporting Shooters Association explains “Numerous studies from around the world show that violent offending with guns has nothing to do with the number of lawfully owned firearms in a community.

What these studies also clearly show is that the common factor connected to firearm violence is poor socio-economic outcomes, such as poverty and poor housing. Both poverty and social housing are issues that our present government has so far failed to address.”

“The solution to the current crime wave and gang related shootings is not more restrictions on carefully vetted licensed gun owners, but to tackle the social issues that drive young people towards gangs and a life of crime.” Says Dodd.

“While we welcome measures proposed by opposition parties to get tough on gangs, we would caution against the further use of warrantless searches as this is likely to have unintended consequences for lawful firearm owners, as has already been demonstrated by a number of unjustified police raids on licensed owners.”

POLICE INCOMPETENCE PUTS FIREARM OWNERS AT RISK

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The revelation that documents stolen from an abandoned Auckland police station contained the names and addresses of licensed firearm owners has outraged gun owners.

Said Chaz Forsyth, President of the Sporting Shooters Association, “The fact that these documents have lain in an empty police station for several years, shows great incompetence on the part of police, they have clearly been negligent in their protection of this important personal data. Someone needs to be held to account.”

“It would appear that the theft of these documents was discovered by chance when police executed a search warrant, so they clearly had no idea that the documents had been left behind or stolen. What does this say about their data security protocols?”

Will the new planned gun register be any more secure when it is designed by an Australian Firm currently under investigation by the commerce commission?

“One of the main objections of gun owners to the proposed firearm register is that the data may be stolen and used by criminals as a shopping list to source firearms from licensed owners. This incident reinforces that argument. The register should be abandoned as it serves no practical useful purpose”, said Forsyth