Neil Pratt
Amendments to firearms legislation could cut red tape that some say has tied the hands of legitimate users, as Jon Rawlinson explains.
A game bird hunter. Photo: Fish and Game
Reloading the Arms Act should make it easier for farmers, hunters and other legitimate gun owners to retain access to the right tools for the job.
Te Kūiti Trap Shooters Club president and Pirongia resident Neil Pratt says the government’s proposed changes could make a marked difference in this respect.
“The big thing is that we won’t be characterised as an immediate threat from the get-go. Instead, licensed firearms owners will be given the benefit of the doubt so we can go ahead and use firearms as we need to.”
Less time will need to be spent on administration, he expects.
“The changes would be good for shooting clubs for a start because regulations should ease substantially. It will take away onerous reporting responsibilities from the clubs, which will make life a lot easier for all of those people running these organisations.”
The Arms Act 1983 has been amended multiple times, including in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist shootings. However, the 2019 reforms have inadvertently tied the hands of legitimate users, Pratt says.
“When they changed the legislation, thousands of clubs had to record all of the people they sold ammunition to and all sorts of other ridiculous things. All going well, we may just have to follow the rules of the act without the whole reporting structure.”
Nicole McKee
Rather than reform the act, the government is aiming for it to be repealed and replaced.
While Pratt is at home on the range, he is also a veteran hunter. In addition to game birds, he is a deerstalker and he has assisted in pest control by targeting other pest species including wild goats and feral cats.
While professional pest controllers can still obtain permission to use some semi-automatic weapons, they aren’t the only ones who eradicate pests. Farmers routinely engage in pest control and, depending on their quarry, hunters also help keep many introduced species in check.
Although Fish and Game does not consider game birds to be pests, its members directly contribute to conservation through their licence fees. The organisation has welcomed the government’s intention to overhaul the Arms Act.
The approach appears to provide a more pragmatic rule structure, says Fish and Game’s Auckland/Waikato game bird manager David Klee.
“There were some unintended consequences of the 2019 regulations that made it harder for hunters, whether that’s recreational gamebird hunters or deerstalkers.
“Some of the big frustrations for our hunters have been long wait times associated with relicensing, but it seems like some of those things will be ironed out, which is positive.”
Fish and Game will be taking part in the act’s select committee process while encouraging other affected groups to make submissions.
Spearheaded by Justice minister, Nicole McKee, the new law is intended to make compliance easier for licensed firearm owners.
“(They) have been unfairly scapegoated for the actions of criminals for too long,” McKee says. “This law focuses on actually making people safer with a fair system that works for all.”
While reducing ‘regulatory burdens,’ the proposed legislation will effectively outlaw gun ownership by gang members, guns with serial numbers removed and even the possession of digital files for 3D printing firearms.
Penalties for offences will also increase and rules regarding secure storage will be clarified. In addition, a new, independent regulator will replace the Firearms Safety Authority, operating openly and transparently, McKee says.
“The current law has been modified dozens of times with many changes rushed through. The result is a complex, confusing and bureaucratic patchwork that makes it difficult for (owners) to comply.
“The new law will be written in plain English, structured logically with public safety at its core. It makes it much more difficult for firearms to get into the hands of criminals while allowing licensed firearm owners to continue to use their firearms safely and responsibly.”
Neil Pratt
