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| Only 530 surrendered out of a million guns. |
New Zealand politicians who rushed to enact nationwide gun confiscation following the Christchurch mosque massacres are befuddled by the lack of enthusiasm from citizens who have yet to comply with the new law. The so-called “gun reform” was expected to rid the vast New Zealand countryside of most semi-automatic firearms, magazines over a specified limit, and shotguns.
Two months ago, Reuters breathlessly reported, “New Zealand police expect tens of thousands of firearms to be surrendered by a guns buy-back scheme.” Law enforcement authorities averred that “it could be more.” Pregnant with the expectation that gun owners would trade their firearms for cash, the political class is nonplussed by the results. Only 530 guns have thus far been turned in to the authorities.
Out Of My Cold, Dead Hands
Figures released by the New Zealand police had politicians and law enforcement officials scrambling to comprehend what just happened. Michael Clement, the police deputy commissioner, assessed the situation by telling the media that the number of guns expected to be handed over is “a great unknown question,” primarily because the firearms the government is confiscating have never been registered with authorities.
Could it be that the brain trust in Wellington needs to up the ante and offer more money? Is this a statement of personal liberty? Could it be considered “ostriching,” Brit-speak for a friendly ability to ignore unpleasantness? Or in psychological parlance, could it merely constitute passive-aggressive behavior? All of these socioeconomic factors may have played a part in the first wave of the buy-back fizzle.
In reality, New Zealand is quite heavily armed per capita, with an estimated 1.2-1.5 million guns in a country of approximately 4.7 million people. To put it another way, the land of the Kiwi is about as big as Colorado with the population of Louisiana. New York City, for example, is home to about 8.6 million (2017 estimate), almost double the size of the New Zealand population.
Mountainous terrain with very few inhabitants largely adds up to a rural people. And what do these folks out in the middle of nowhere do with themselves all the live-long day? Agriculture, forestry, mining, and fishing represent the lion’s share of industry.
And then there are all those sheep. Mathematically, there are about seven times more sheep than people in New Zealand. By and large, those who raise sheep and live off the land in what is often referred to as “homesteading” find that firearms can be quite useful when you attempt to live off the grid.
The Deplorable Factor
The liberty-minded among us would like to believe that the people of New Zealand are, in the words of William F. Buckley, “Standing athwart history and yelling stop,” but this runs counter to the anodyne Kiwi character. It’s more likely they are quietly demonstrating their “live and let live” sociocultural predilection.
There is, of course, that sticky and ever-present issue of money. Not only will Commonwealth citizens suffer the indignity of being stripped of their guns, but they will also be taxed for the privilege. Some estimates bantered about by New Zealand lawmakers went as high as $500 million to $1 billion to pay for the confiscation scheme.
But the truth is authorities have no idea what it will ultimately cost. Should citizens keep up their non-compliance, then not very much. This would make for a Kiwi win which would allow them to keep their guns and money. But the penalties are stiff for such roguery: Those who refuse to surrender their prohibited firearms could be sentenced to a five-year stay in the slammer.
Much like the United States, New Zealand’s gun-grabbing toffs entrenched in the government can’t stop themselves from trammeling the privileges of those who own guns. As there is no specific right to bear arms per se in the Land of the Long White Cloud, gun-owning citizens face an arduous battle to withhold their firearms from the grasp of the leftist political class.
Perhaps simply ignoring the new regulations may be effective, and law enforcement will find it impractical to round up the firearms of otherwise law-abiding citizens. Whether it becomes an exercise in futility for the government, a quest for a bigger bang for their buck by the people, or merely a quiet sidestep of hastily approved laws, Second Amendment supporters in America would be wise to take note.
It could just be that these laid-back Kiwis are poised to teach us a lesson in how to resist the oppressive and ham-handed fist of a Muslim-Pandering-Socialist tyrannical government.
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| One can't kill a large wild animal with a .22 rifle. NZ socialists are fucking dreaming. |
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| Jacinda Arden criticizing US on CNN for not banning all semi-automatic guns like she just did. |
A New Zealand Gun
Owner’s Plea For Help
New Zealand has become quite the hot mess for gun owners. Not only has the government gone after gun owners, forcibly confiscating firearms, but it seems at least one big sporting goods chain in Kiwiland has sided with the government against gun owners.
Not only that, but according to one gun owner we’ve spoken to, Hunting & Fishing New Zealand acts as a bully to hang their wholesalers/distributors out to dry. How do they do that? They threaten to cut off wholesalers and distributors from business in their 37-store chain. As there’s only a single importer, it’s not like the marketplace has alternative sources for guns and gear for their stores.
The author of this request is active in New Zealand’s gun owner community, but asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. Not the least of which, he could lose his firearms licenses from the New Zealand government.
This gun owner is asking for NRA members and American companies to get involved in breaking the distribution monopoly in New Zealand. Frankly though, is the NZ market big enough that anyone will care?
He writes . . .
This question is more of a plea for help. How do I get in touch with NRA members? I have a request. We have more problems here than people realize. We are getting hit with bottle necking. We have been cut off from permits. They exist, but the government will not issue them. No law change needed. The courier services and postal service have stopped transporting rifles or anything related to them.
This is purely to drive people into their stores. The main culprit is [the] Hunting and Fishing [chain]. Have a look at their prices. Both them, and the small number of wholesalers make more money on a rifle than the American company that built it. We are being gouged, severely.
I was talking to a local independent gun store yesterday. I have heard this hundreds of times. He gave me a good price on a rifle, but made me swear to secrecy. The reason is, with a phone call, Hunting and Fishing will have him cut off from the wholesaler. There is a group within New Zealand who hold a monopoly on gun imports, also ammo and powder, scopes, everything.
Not only have they betrayed us in this round of legislation, but they will not let the gun ownership grow. They shut down all the independent gun stores and the keep prices sky high. This is illegal in New Zealand, but obviously for shooting, this is not enforced.
Now their monopoly and control comes from their connections in the states. No one else in New Zealand can become an importer, because of the close relationship between this group and the suppliers in America. We need the NRA to bust this up. It has to stop. The NRA and American gun owners have the influence to put an end to this. We really need it, as without growth, we are doomed.
Sorry for the huge message, but obviously we are all very concerned. Commerce is one of the only places we have any room to move.
He sent a follow-up email a couple of days later…
Yesterday I went to see some people to get some more details. Primarily what I was going on was my own knowledge of the firearms sector here, and recent events. I called a gunsmith I know, and he filled in some details.
The main culprit here is https://www.huntingandfishing. co.nz/ They are for lack of a better word, bullies. It is not the wholesalers or importers, they are also subject to harassment from Hunting and Fishing. They have a chain of 37 stores. As I understand it, the reps are told by hunting and fishing who they are allowed to sell to, under the threat of losing trade from the 37 stores.
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| Jaycinda The Joker sans Hijab. |
My region (Otago) is particularly bad. What really upset me over this, is that our very small independent stores who cater to real enthusiasts are very afraid of this company. The live in fear, because they may lose their business, which is their passion, if Fishing and Hunting moves against them. I know of one, maybe two stores who were closed locally due to Hunting and Fishing telling the sales reps not to sell to them anymore. I have the contact details for these guys and I am going to give them a call.
This might all be local trade infighting, if not for Hunting and Fishing’s role in current legislation. They played a part in creating these gun control laws. Basically what everyone said was, once Hunting and Fishing (H&F) sided with the government, there was no hope. To the general public, this sealed our fate. It appears they have done a deal of some sort to get the legislation crafted in a way that helps their business.
H&F need a taste of their own medicine. Why are US companies supplying a chain store that promotes gun control? They literally played a role in creating the legislation that has caused us all this pain and misery. If there is one place you guys can help us, it is dealing with this company. They are destroying the rights of New Zealanders for their own commercial gain and bullying everyone.
Again, I thank you guys for taking an interest. There is an awful feeling of hopelessness that comes with all this, because we do not have the right of reply, nor do we have anyone on our side in this country.
If the author doesn’t believe he has anyone on his side in his country, that’s in part the fault of gun owners. Because if they don’t care enough to educate their fellow citizen/subjects on the proven benefits of firearm ownership, then nobody will stand up for them when the government comes for them. As they already have.
(10 April 2019) New Conservative leader Leighton Baker has labelled the farcical select committee process on firearm reform as rushed and undemocratic, and says that New Conservative would repeal any new law resulting from this, and allow all interested parties the opportunity to develop robust law, through proper consultation, when elected to Parliament next year.
It is appalling that after the March 15 tragedy, the proposed reforms don’t even deal with the failures that allowed Tarrant the opportunity to gain both a firearms license, and firearms, and go on to slaughter innocent citizens. What is also disturbing is that the government would use this tragedy to unnecessarily rush through legislation, without proper consultation, and without allowing many interested parties to speak to the bill.
If gangs refuse to hand in guns, if penalties for use of firearm infringements are not increased, and if the government refuses to listen to those most affected, then the only thing this law has achieved is to placate the emotionally compromised by blaming the guns and incriminating licensed gun owners.
Good law should be clearly defined, easy to enforce, and fair to the populace. This law does not meet that threshold and sets a dangerous precedent of rushed legislation. “New Conservative calls on the government to follow due process resulting in a law that is well thought out, achieves its purpose, and does not criminalise responsible and willingly accountable citizens who have committed no crime,” says Leighton Baker, New Conservative Leader.