Gun buffs claim code conspiracy

A botched police update of the Arms Code has angered gun owners, writes Simon Hendery.

Gun enthusiasts say a botch-up that saw 35,000 error-ridden copies of the Arms Code distributed nationally has heightened distrust and frustration with the way police administer firearms laws.

Police were this week forced to tell gun owners to destroy a recently circulated update to the Arms Code containing ‘‘a number of errors’’.

Among the errors in the 70-page booklet was a claim licensed firearms owners would be ‘‘required to justify the number of firearms you hold when the police inspect your firearms security’’ when no such requirement exists under the Arms Act.

Gun advocates say the booklet debacle indicated police wanted to implement an illegal gun control policy targeting law-abiding shooters rather than gangs and other unlicensed users.

But Superintendent Chris Scahill, national manager of police response and operations, denied that claim, saying it was a case of ‘‘simple wording errors’’.

The updated text had been run past an external technical advisory committee, but the errors were not picked up, he said.

He was not aware of Facebook claims that contractors hired by police to vet and monitor gun users were asking some to justify the number of guns they owned.

Gun users see the Arms Code botch-up as another blow on top of concerns that law changes proposed last month by Parliament’s Law and Order Committee would penalise licensed users rather than crack down on illegal firearms.

Wellington firearm safety trainer Nicole McKee – one of two independent advisers appointed by Police Minister Paula Bennett to review the select committee’s recommendations – is among those who believe the changes will not be effective at cutting gun crime.

‘‘The majority of the recommendations are not in the best interest of the firearms community and will not affect criminal behaviour.’’

But Scahill said he disagreed, and a number of the committee’s recommendations were targeted at controlling illegal gun activity.

McKee said the Arms Code printing botch-up showed police were not adequately resourced to enforce gun laws.

‘‘Trust in the police by the firearms community has deteriorated immensely and this sort of thing just adds to it.’’

Bennett said she had made it clear to police she was ‘‘very disappointed’’ over the release of the unapproved version of the Code.

She was still working through her response to the select committee report but said it contained ‘‘a number of recommendations that won’t be progressed’’.

Labour’s police spokesman, Stuart Nash, said he was aware of claims firearms vetters were overstepping their authority.