Friday, March 29, 2024

ALTERNATIVE VIEW: Taking potshots at the law-abiding

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Like you, I was appalled at the unprovoked massacre of innocent people in Christchurch in March.
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Subsequently, what I found concerning was the cynical and opportunistic use of that massacre as an excuse to change our gun laws.

It was led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and supported by the police.

Yes, the shooter had a military style semi-automatic. In fact, he had several, all obtained legally.

There are many questions including asking how he was able to get an arms licence. All the reports suggest the process was flawed.

When concerns about the shooter were expressed to police they were ignored.

The shooter went to quite a few dodgy places in his world travels, which our security agencies didn’t pick up?

I know there is a Royal Commission to look at the bureaucratic process but it is shrouded in secrecy that will assist no-one except the Government and government agencies.

That is obviously so it can concentrate on gun owners and not complicate the issue with bureaucratic slackness.

The original cry from Ardern was for a ban on military style semi-automatics and I didn’t have a problem with that. 

The police continued that call, always quick to front a photo opportunity with the most military style semi-automatic available.

In my naivety I believed Ardern and the police and understood they were talking military style semi-automatics when the truth was they were talking all semis.

For example, a Browning has a three-round circular magazine that can’t be adapted.

But it is illegal when a far more lethal pump shotgun isn’t.

When the ban was announced it was to be part of our war on terror.

That’s wrong in fact. Terrorists mainly use suicide vests and car bombs to ply their trade, not semi-automatics.

Then we were told the ban was going to make New Zealand a safer place.

That comment’s either naive or dishonest.

The vast majority of weapons used in homicides in NZ between 2004 and 2019 are .22s or shotguns, both are still legal.

Shotguns were used in 33 homicides over that period with .22s killing 30 people. Military style semi-automatics killed six. 

Though six is too many it is less than 10% of the homicides in NZ over that period.

Of the 84 murders involving guns only 12, just 14% of the perpetrators had a gun licence.

The police estimate there are 1.5 million guns in NZ but say there’s no way of knowing how many are in the hands of criminals.

There are more than 248,000 people with a legal arms licence.

Using the police figures there are six guns for every licensed firearms owner, which I find grossly excessive.

Adding to that, I haven’t seen any patched gang members at the gun collection points.

Police admit they regularly find firearms when searching homes and cars connected to gangs and organised crime.

One could then ask, with the utmost humility, why police and politicians are targeting legitimate, licensed firearm owners.

Police Association president Chris Cahill told us the proliferation of firearms and gun crime, particularly gang-related gun crime, is undeniable.

Police added there is a burgeoning black market for firearms.

Again, why target legitimate, honest gun owners?

We then read Cahill wants a firearms licence revoked if security is inadequate. No doubt that would occur at the Palmerston North police station where a multitude of guns were stolen.

So now we’re going to have a whole new set of rules and regulations including a gun register that was tried by Canada and Australia and rejected as being excessively bureaucratic, horrendously expensive and didn’t work.

Ardern’s statement that if police are called to a house they’ll know how many guns are there with a register is laughable.

If the police are called there’s very little chance of the person being licensed.

My strong belief is that because many legitimate gun owners have been made to feel like pariahs they will buck the system and the number of firearms handed in so far supports that. The police don’t have the resources to do much about it so life will continue totally unaffected by the legislation. 

That means the government’s and the police’s emotive and unjustified war on legitimate gun owners, while giving both parties much-needed publicity, will achieve little else.

Someone should have pointed out it’s better to engage than enrage – if you want co-operation, that is.

So we’ve had a cynical and opportunistic manipulation of a tragic event to rush through ill-conceived legislation while making pariahs out of legitimate and lawful firearms owners.

My view is because of that arrogance the legislation will be ineffective and neither the Government nor the police have the resources to make it work.

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