Police Union Attack Gun Imports

In October last year Radio NZ reported that: “Newly elected Police Association President Chris Cahill will focus on frontline staffing and restriction of firearms”. They were not wrong.

In that same website article he said that: “The importation of firearms also needed to be restricted”.

Cahill has since told Stuff that the Police Association believed “MPs were too soft on gun imports”.

In past weeks Cahill told the Herald that a “glaring omission” has been made in a select committee report into illegal gun possession.

Cahill: “There appears to be a glaring omission in the report when it comes to tightening up on the tens of thousands of firearms imported into New Zealand every year”

“We have to ask why on earth we need all these firearms”.

Well Chris, because there are about a quarter of a million kiwis who enjoy shooting. Guns are helpful in this regard.

He then asks “why we need military-style semi-automatic weapons (MSSA) and pistols”.

The media reported widely that the: “Police Association was displeased with the committee’s attitude to rules and regulations surrounding the importation of firearms”.

Scoop were given the same line. Always generalities, never anything specific. Just “Tightening up” is needed. Because its “too soft” and “Needs restricting”.

So what the hell are they actually proposing?

The numbers game

The Association also fear-mongers in its internal communications to members: “New Zealand is awash with firearms. More than 200,000 were legally imported between 2000 and 2009 alone. Every criminal who wants a firearm can easily get one”.

Their numbers differ wildly, depending on the day.

Newstalk ZB were told: “Over 40,000 firearms, including air rifles, are imported to New Zealand last year. No record of where they are once they’re important and sold.”

In January Cahill was on Radio NZ – defending the number of Kiwis that his officers were shooting. He said: “The shootings were not because of a change in police approach or trigger-happy officers”.

“The problem stemmed from more than 50,000 firearms, including military semi-automatic weapons, entering the country each year, which were then stolen or sold to offenders”.

At the bottom of the page we find a note:

Clarification: This story has been updated to correct a figure provided to RNZ from 20,000 to 50,000.

SO what is it Cahill? 20,000? 40,000? 50,000?

Back in 2015 it was 55,000. With the Police association telling the Herald that they wanted “an official police inquiry into where the guns are coming from”.

Ummm… Lawful gun dealers? Who.. you know…. sell guns.

So what do the Police Union propose?

The Kiwi Gun Blog called the Union today to ask just that. But we were mysteriously cut off.

So we emailed to ask the Associations police on the following:

1. Does the Police association want a ban on the importation of MSSA rifles?

2. Does the Police association want a ban on the importation of pistols?

3. What specific restrictions does the Police Association want regarding the importation of firearms?

Stay tuned for their response. Or get in touch with them yourself for clarification:

Enquiries@policeassn.org.nz

 

UPDATE:

It is now a month on and still no response…..

Once again the Police Union will cry wolf with ridiculous generalizations – yet still refuses to even say what it is that they want.