Registering All Guns in New Zealand

This story has two interesting proposals; A) that very powerful Air Guns should require a licence to purchase and B) a recommendation by Keith Locke that ALL firearms be registered.


I agree with A). If a weapon has clearly lethal powers, and is known to be a weapon of choice amongst scumbag career criminals such as methamphetamine producers, FOR the fact that it is easier to obtain legally than a firearm that uses conventional bullets, it makes sense to close that loophole.


But B) is an attempt by Mr Locke to piggyback his own distaste for weapons onto that debate, in an attempt to make gun ownership that little bit more arduous, that little bit more bureaucratic. And more than that, it is difficult to see this measure have any impact on the ability of police to do their job, or reduce crime in any way. Scumbag criminals don't get licences now and exist in a state outside the law, and are not going to go through the process of registering firearms they are already not legally allowed to carry.


Lets keep NZ just that bit freer, and trust in law-abiding citizens to be responsible for their actions - and clamp down ever harder on those for whom the law is an inconvenience to sneak around, while selling poison and wreaking general havoc.