Under the registry, gun owners must now log their firearms online or by phone, updating any changes of ownership when they happen . . . but no need to rush, the country’s 240,000 licensed gun owners have five years to register their firearms.
There has been a marked increase in the use of firearms in criminal activity since 2015, say police. The sad reality is that many of the firearms seized in recent police operations could be traced back to legal purchases.
Gun Control NZ is calling on all political parties to commit to fully implementing the registry over the next two years.
But Council of Licensed Firearms Owners spokesman Hugh Devereux-Mack says it does not make any sense to bring in further regulation on licensed owners, who are sick and tired of being scapegoated for police failures to address the increase in gun violence.
Firearms owners have also said the register could provide a shopping list of weapons and where to find them for criminals, adding that the theft of firearms licensing documents from the former Auckland Police Station in 2022 set an ominous precedent.
However, police say the $10 million online portal contains similar security measures to online banking and government departments.
It is four long years since the moves to establish a gun registry were started in response to the Christchurch mosque terror attack.
The gun control survey by Horizon last month strongly suggests a majority of New Zealanders feel that has been too long.
