Owners hand over weapons
Whether it was willingly or begrudgingly, Manawatu¯ gun owners accepted they had to hand their weapons over as part of the police firearms buy back and amnesty.
Manawatu¯ ’s amnesty event started at Awapuni Racecourse, Palmerston North, yesterday. It is also on today and tomorrow, from 10am to 3pm.
There are collection events in Palmerston North, Whanganui, Dannevirke, Levin and Taihape over the next two months.
People were queued down Te Wanaka Rd yesterday morning awaiting the opening of the event, before passing through security and handing over their weapons and ammunition.
The buy-back event is one of many across New Zealand after the Government passed tough legislation outlawing some semiautomatics following the Christchurch mosque shooting.
Roger Lentle, who lives near A¯ piti, had two sporting semiautomatic rifles he used for stalking deer in the bush to hand over.
He didn’t have a problem with giving his guns to the police.
‘‘I’m surrendering my rifles, basically because I realise we’re living in changing times. There is an increasing radicalisation at the moment, both in America, as well as here and everywhere.
‘‘Responsible citizens have got to be prepared to surrender, at the very least, those sort of firearms that in the hands of the wrong people are going to do tremendous damage, like what happened in the South Island.
‘‘I’m doing it willingly. I think it’s something that we have to do for the greater good of our society. ‘‘
He said it was a privilege to own a firearm because they were deadly weapons.
Palmerston North man Simon Garwood was returning a couple of .243s he used for deer stalking.
‘‘Obviously I’m not happy about it. But the law is the law and you have to comply.
‘‘But my four-shot .243, which is for hunting, isn’t the type of weapon they are after originally. It’s there for one purpose. To go out and shoot deer.’’
He said one of his guns only held four rounds, and you couldn’t do much with that and the other barrelfed gun that held 14 rounds, which was for possum and rabbit shooting.
A Palmerston North man, who didn’t want to be identified, was handing over an AR15 he bought about six months ago.
‘‘I don’t have a problem against the decision that’s been made, as long as I get what it’s actually worth. I’ve also got about 200 rounds of ammo I have to surrender.’’
He had recently started sport shooting and he used the AR15 for target shooing and competitions.
Acting central district police commander Chris de Wattignar said there was a good turnout of people at the event.
‘‘We’re getting everybody through at a good pace and most people accept the buy back had to occur,’’ he said.
‘‘They have been really pleased with the way they have been treated and I think they have been pretty pleased about the compensation they have been getting for the firearms as well.’’
There were armed police at the event and de Wattignar said police took security for the day seriously because a lot of firearms were coming in.
Police were directing people
‘‘We’re getting everybody through at a good pace and most people accept the buy back had to occur.’’ Chris de Wattignar Acting central district police commander
from the entrance to the collection point, then out again.
De Wattignar encouraged people to look on the police website to find information about the 21 collection events in central district.
There is a second collection event at Awapuni on September 20-22, from 10am-3pm.
The next collection is at Whanganui Racecourse on July 26-28, from 10.30am-3.30pm.
There are other collections at the Dannevirke Showgrounds, on August 16-17 from 10.30am-3.30pm, the Horowhenua Events Centre in Levin, on September 6-7 from 10.30am-3.30pm, and the Taihape Bowling Club, on September 13-14 from 10.30am-3.30pm.
There is a second collection event at Whanganui Racecourse, on September 27-29 from 10.30am3.30pm.