In 2019, a terrorist killed 51 people and injured dozens of others at two Christchurch mosques. In response, Labour, who were in power at the time, established a firearms registry and banned semi-automatic rifles, with some exceptions for reasons such as pest control. Fast-forward to 2024, the Arms Acts 1983 will be rewritten as part of the National and Act Party coalition deal.
ACT MP and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee is leading the reform and is a former spokesperson for the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO), an organisation representing the interests of legal firearm owners.
She told RNZ the rewrite means starting from scratch and everything is on the table. While the reform is in its early stages, McKee says new laws will be in place by 2026.
Police Association president Chris Cahill has called for the Prime Minister to remove McKee from her gun reform portfolio because of her association with COLFO.
Advocates are concerned the Government may reintroduce semi-automatic weapons as part of the reform.
Re: News asked two people from opposing sides of the gun argument about what they think.
Hugh Devereux-Mack is the current spokesperson for the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) and says firearms are a core part of New Zealand culture.
He says it’s an essential tool in conservation efforts and it’s a competitive sport, with athletes representing New Zealand at the 2024 Olympics.
He says it’s vital for families who rely on hunting to put meat on the family table in these tough economic times.
As part of the Muslim community, Tayyaba Khan advocates for stronger gun control legislation.
She is also the founder of Khadija Leadership Network, an organisation that aims to develop Muslim leaders globally.
She says she’s “definitely against guns” because she finds them very threatening.
She also has vivid childhood memories of her visits to Pakistan – where she says guns were freely used back then which instilled fear in her as a child.
Potential changes to semi-automatic gun laws
Tayyaba says for the people impacted by the terror attack, the possibility of reversing what’s been put in place would be very traumatising.
“I think it’s extremely scary that a Government that’s only just arrived in power would consider this particular piece of law and wanting to remove it.
“There’s an immense amount of fear running around. That’s the reality of the many communities I work with, eat with, sit with – all of whom are feeling really marginalised.”
Minister Nicole McKee says the Arms Act has been in place for over 40 years, and they are taking a good look at the whole system to make the necessary changes to ensure its fit for purpose.
“We need to find workable solutions that deliver tangible safety outcomes for New Zealand communities.”
While Tayyaba acknowledges there wasn’t a full ban on semi-automatics and the law made it slightly harder to access these weapons, it still didn’t make it impossible.
“It’s important to recognise it’s a privilege to access guns. It shouldn’t be something easily accessible.”
Hugh also pointed out there wasn’t a full ban on the weapons, and says “semi-automatic rifles and shotguns are still available for sale and are some of the most popular firearms for pest control”.
He says people were “initially sold a lie” that semi-automatics were banned by the previous Government and supporters of the “rushed gun laws”.
“Centre fire semi-automatics were just made more difficult to own and there are licensed firearms owners now who use these as well as owning fully automatic firearms and they pose no greater threat to society than other properly licensed firearms owners,” he says.
“The reason the Christchurch terror attack was possible was because the previous Government weakened gun laws by making budget cuts to the vetting process and then Police failed to vet the terrorist.”
Labour MP and former Justice and Police Minister Ginny Andersen says she’s proud they committed to getting illegal guns off the streets and banned “military-style semi-automatic weapons”.
“The Government should not risk having any more of these dangerous weapons falling into the wrong hands,” she says.
“Labour has been firm on our stance – if you want to fire a military-style semi-automatic weapon, join the military.”
How the 2019 semi-automatic bans impacted their communities
Tayyaba says what’s unique about Aotearoa New Zealand is the sense of safety; that’s why so many migrants and former refugees come here.
But she says in the terror attack, someone violated their place of worship and that sense of safety.
“They took all of that away, and with the ban, at least there was a sense of ‘we’ve made something a little bit harder for someone else to do the same thing’ and that relief was really important.”
For the licenced gun owners Hugh represents, he says the 2019 ban deeply damaged their trust and confidence in Police.
“Rather than them taking accountability for the tragedy their failure enabled, they blamed the gun laws.”
He says it created an environment where licensed law-abiding New Zealanders with no criminal records, passed safety, medical and mental health checks, and had their homes inspected “were treated worse than criminals”.
In a statement, Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority director of operations superintendent Richard Wilson, says the subsequent Royal Commission of Inquiry found clear failures and weaknesses in both the administration of the firearms regulatory system and the firearms licencing process.
“The New Zealand Police stood next to those findings, apologising that our administration of the Arms Act had not always been up to the required standard.”
Richard says the law applies equally, and if criminality is suspected, Police would either rely on lawful search powers to enter a property, or apply for a search warrant to enter and search properties.
Impact on public safety
Tayyaba says repealing the restrictions is a huge danger to public safety and believes there is already proof of this.
“Gun Control NZ data alone this year tells you the use of guns unfortunately have increased, which means even with a ban like this, guns are still being used for the wrong purposes,” she added.
She says there are various reasons guns are used for the wrong reasons such as domestic violence, gang-related issues, and acts of terrorism.
While they may be on different sides of the issue, Hugh also wants to ensure gun laws are in place to reduce firearms crimes and hopes the reform will do that.
“It gives us the opportunity to review the register effectively and objectively to see if it's delivering a safer New Zealand.”
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says as someone who’s spent many years as a firearms safety instructor and as an advocate for fair, and practical firearms laws that keep our communities safe, she shares concerns of the rise in gun crime.
“All New Zealanders will be able to have their say on any proposed changes when we reach select committee stages for the various legislative changes that will occur over this term of Government,” she says.
Semi-automatic weapons’ place in New Zealand
Hugh says semi-automatics are critical pest control tools and are no different to any other firearms.
“What matters is the intent of the one using them.”
“We have licensed firearms owners with semi-automatics, fully automatics and other firearms types you'd never know about because they will never cause a problem in society.”
Tayyaba says she can never imagine wanting or needing a gun for herself and her family.
“I understand for some rural communities in terms of the farming industry, guns are needed for their jobs. But other than that, I just don’t see a place for them in our society at all.”
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