Firearms Licencing Still Taking Too Long
act-new-zealand
Mon Apr 26 2021 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Firearms Licencing Still Taking Too Long
Monday, 26 April 2021, 6:01 am
Press Release: ACT New Zealand
“Thousands of New Zealand shooters could still miss out on duck shooting season because of unacceptable delays in processing firearms licencing applications,” says ACT’s Fair Firearms Law Reform spokesperson Nicole McKee.
“Police put out a press release this week claiming they are making “significant progress” in clearing application delays. But figures obtained by ACT show thousands of people are waiting months for both new applications and licence renewals.
“Police have said the most helpful thing to do is apply four months in advance, but the figures we obtained show almost 5,000 applications have taken longer than six months and 1,382 have taken 12 months or longer.
“Duck shooting season starts next week. New Zealand has a proud tradition of hunting and shooting. Duck shooting season for many people is a chance to bond with friends or mates and provide food for the family.
“Law abiding firearms holders in New Zealand have put up with a lot under this Government. They’ve been vilified by many and have handed back firearms that they only ever used responsibly.
“Now as further punishment, many will now miss out on duck hunting.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
“After our nation’s tragedy in Christchurch, we needed to get better at vetting, now the system is more broken than ever.”
The below figures obtained by Written Parliamentary Question to the Minister of Police shows how long the delays are:
1 Month or Longer = 8,179
4 months or longer = 6,164
6 months or longer = 4,915
10 months or longer = 2,005
12 months or longer = 1,382
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from ACT New Zealand on InfoPages.