So What is the TRUE Penalty for Having an Illegal Gun in New Zealand?

The Kiwi Gun Blog has been gathering as much hard data as we can to demonstrate where the true cause of our (Low) gun crime comes from – The pathetic penalties that offenders receive.

We have just received some shocking figures from the Ministry of Justice.

We wanted to keep it simple. So even the media and politicians could understand.

So we asked what the penalties were for those convicted of ‘Possession of a firearm without a license’.

There were 131 such cases over the 2016 calendar year.

Behold – the Terrible Punishment!

Twelve people were imprisoned.

Some for as little as 30 days. 44 days on average. 90 days was the most that anyone in New Zealand received for criminal possession of a firearm.

Think about that.

THAT is the deterrent.

Fourteen people received home detention.

Some for as little as 30 days. 92 days was the average.

Three people received Community Detention.

Some for as little as 120 days. 150 was the average. The worst received 180 days.

Four received Intensive Supervision.

Some for 270 days with an average of just under a year.

Oh… The Kiwi Gun Blog believe that THIS was one of those cases.

Forty received a sentence of Community Work.

Some for as little as 40 hours. An average of 96 hours and the unlucky guy getting 200 hours.

Six offenders received Supervision.

Some for as little as 270 days. The average was 285 days and the worst got a year.

Thirty Three offenders received a monetary penalty.

No doubt from their social welfare benefit.

The lowest fine was $188. The average was $378. The worst was $1000.

This is the part where we point out that not having current car registration is $200.

Oh and the price of the stolen gun they had was likely more than the average fine here.

Four Offenders had Deferment.

They can come up for sentence if called upon from 180 days to a year.

Fifteen offenders had ‘No sentence recorded’

This means that they were convicted and simply discharged.

Fucking Freebie.

But wait….

These are the penalties for those CONVICTED.

There were actually 168 cases.

Eighteen received Adult Diversion.

Ten had the cases withdrawn.

Three were discharged.

Five were discharged without conviction.

One didn’t face trail due to mental impairment.

Now we need to acknowledge that some of these cases may be legit. Some farmer lent his neighbour with a lapsed licence a .22 to rehabilitate some rabbits. That doesn’t deserve a trial – let alone a prison sentence.

But the bottom line is that the Law and Order committee were trying to prevent criminals using guns. THIS is what happens when they do.

Note: This data counts an individual’s most serious OUTCOME for offending under section 20 of the 1983 Arms Act. They may have offended again, with a gun, in this same period, with out that being reflected in these records.

Conclusion

So if there was an ‘Average sentence’ for someone CONVICTED of the criminal possession of firearms in New Zealand – what would it be?

Some kind of community based sentence. A 30% chance of community work. A 25% chance of a fine. But… LESS THAN TEN PERCENT CHANCE OF JAIL.

We endure vetting. Licencing. We pay for that. We pay for safes. We register. We endure privacy invading ‘checks’. For what?

So when we are robbed by a criminal – who should be in jail for his last offence – The burglary wont be solved. But when the scum who did it IS caught with one of our stolen guns – less than one in ten will go to jail. FOR NINETY DAYS AT MOST. BUT LIKELY 44.

What a sick joke.

Remember that these penalties are stand alone. If combined with a more serious sentence then they would be served consecutively. So… free. 

Your Thoughts Guys?

The Kiwi Gun Blog will keep gathering the facts. But its up to YOU to shove them in the face of your Member of Parliament and demand change.

Send an email. Make a call. Book a visit.

But play your part. Please.