Police urge people to hand in guns at announced collection events

Police deputy commissioner Mike Clement. Photo / File

Police are urging people to hand in their guns at one of the 192 collection events they will be running across the country over the next three months.

This comes as part of the Government's gun buyback scheme which will include a $300 payment for gun owners who wish to modify their illegal gun into a legal one, for example changing a shotgun cartridge capacity from seven to five.

"We want to make it as easy as we can for people to do the right thing and hand-in their
firearms," deputy police commissioner Mike Clement said.

Dates and locations of each event will be regularly updated on the police website.

For Auckland, 17 events have been announced.

Police Minister Stuart Nash said the events would be at places like rugby, cricket, bowling and golf clubs.

"People can call into war memorial halls, scout dens, kennel clubs, church halls, racecourses and A&P showgrounds.

"In our biggest city, sports grounds like Eden Park and Mount Smart stadium will be used, and in some cases will be open on Sundays after a game on Saturday," Nash said.

In Christchurch, the first collection will be at Riccarton racecourse on July 13.

He said farmers and hunters in small rural towns like Te Kuiti, Ruatoria, Taihape, Fox Glacier, Takaka, Haast and Te Anau were also being catered for.

"We have heard from firearms owners that they have busy lives and just want to get the handover done easily with minimum fuss," Nash said.

Clement said as police prepared for these collections events, they could assure the public that these events were well planned with strong safety measures in place that will allow people to hand in their firearms in an efficient manner.

He said police preferred firearm owners to hand-in their guns at the collection events, however, if this is not possible there are other options.

"Please check the police website for other options, " Clement said.

A list of retailer and dealers – who will be able to collect firearms on the police's behalf – will be announced in the coming weeks.

The buy-back and amnesty ends on December 20.