Dead hunter's mother pleads for tougher gun rules

Cameron McDonald. Photo / Supplied

The mother of slain hunter Cameron McDonald says she will lobby for tougher gun laws after a man was charged with careless use of a firearm causing death over her son's death.

Cyndy McDonald said stricter gun laws would act as a deterrence to other hunters.

"For the crime, we want the right punishment to deter other hunters. It's got to change. Too many people are dying. You might say only eight [hunters have been killed] in the last 10 years, but it should never happen," said McDonald.

Christopher Dummer, 54, a former Wellington branch president of the New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association, appeared in court on Friday and was bailed without plea to July 27. He was also asked to surrender his firearms.

Police charged Dummer more than three months after Cameron McDonald, a 29-year-old self-employed Auckland builder, died after being shot in the head while hunting in the south Wairarapa bush.

Family were still struggling to come to terms with Cameron's death, his mother said.

"We miss him dearly, our Cameron."

Dummer faces a maximum penalty of three years' jail and a fine up to $4000 if found guilty.

Police had told them that Cameron, who was wearing an orange hunting beanie when he was shot, did nothing wrong.

The family also want firearms' licences to be harder to get and for hunters to be better educated on the need to clearly identify their targets before shooting. Greytown man Doug Williams, who was hunting with McDonald when he was shot, said he took no comfort from Dummer being charged. There were "no winners in this, everyone loses".

Dummer rushed from court without talking to media on Friday and could not be contacted yesterday.

His lawyer Andrew Davie said he would not be commenting.