Gun owners up in arms over licence charges

A critic described the rule changes as a kneejerk reaction 'to blame the good guys.' Photo / Supplied

Gun owners remain angry at police changes to licensing rules over military-style semi-automatic weapons, with some taking official steps to try to stop them.

One has applied for a judicial review of the police decision, while a group has complained to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).

Gun owners have been told that if they own a semi-automatic firearm with a "military pattern, free-standing pistol grip", it is now considered a military-style semi-automatic firearm.

Owners must undergo more stringent vetting than for standard A-class endorsed licences, and are required to have a more expensive and secure safe for their weapons, costing upwards of $1000.

Otherwise they can sell the weapon or convert it to a "sporting" configuration.

The newly-formed National Shooters Association, which says it has about 60 members, has complained to the IPCA.

A ssociation president Richard Lincoln said police were spending $60,000 advertising a policy decision that was being challenged in the High Court.

Mr Lincoln himself has applied for a judicial review of the change in police interpretation of the weapons.

Police were publishing misleading advertising that falsely purported unqualified opinion as legally binding and that it was sanctioned by the Government, Mr Lincoln said.

Firearm law consultant David Wood told the Timaru Herald the police move was a "pointless bureaucratic knee-jerk reaction to blame the good guys".

The campaign focused on the wrong issue and police resources would be better directed into maintaining the present law, he said.

The owner of internet gun auction site GunStuff Mark Fogarin told the New Zealand Herald the reclassification was "causing much confusion and frustration throughout New Zealand's firearms community".

The change would have no effect on people such as Jan Molenaar, who shot dead police officer Len Snee and injured three other men in Napier last month, he said.

Mr Fogarin said no check was made after Molenaar's licence expired to ensure he no longer had guns, yet he was unfit to hold a licence and had an arsenal of 18 guns including military-style semi-automatics.

Council of Licensed Firearms Owners board member Andre Doyle told NZPA members were not entirely happy with the change in rules.

"Everyone went through the process in good faith and the law was the law at the time. The goal posts have changed and that's a bitter pill to swallow."

However, Mr Doyle said most owners would comply with the regulations once they got their heads around the regulations.

Inspector Joe Green, police national manager of firearms licensing and vetting, said there had been concern for some time that military-style firearms were being configured for the civilian market.

Advice from Crown Law was that the firearms were still military-style, he said.

The stricter E-class endorsement did involve more stringent checks in which police were looking for the "Rambo-type attitude", he said.

Mr Green said the process had received a positive response from the Mountain Safety Council and Deerstalkers' Association and many firearms owners were applying for the E-class endorsement.

Police were waiving the $200 endorsement application fee until March next year, and people were seeing that as a free $200 they could put towards increased security, he said.

Police Superintendent Tony McLeod told the New Zealand Herald the reclassification was not an attempt to create a firearms registration system by default, but better tracking of the types of weapons may be a result.

Mr McLeod said it was "a definite risk" that some owners may not come forward because of the higher cost of the E-class licence.

In 1992 it was estimated there were between 12,000 and 15,000 military-style semi-automatic rifles in the country. Last year there were about 7300 registered.

- NZPA