A firearms license holder is facing prosecution in a case where it is alleged he failed to register his firearms because he believed the law would change in future.

A 44 year-old Auckland man has been summonsed to appear at Waitakere District Court next month on charges under section 53A of the Arms Act that he intentionally failed to provide information for the Firearms Registry.

Detective Inspector Albie Alexander says Police seized 12 firearms from the man's property earlier this week.

“Five were listed in the Firearms Registry and seven were unregistered. The unregistered items were all standard shotguns and rifles, the so-called A-category firearms,” said Detective Inspector Alexander.

“Failure to register firearms has consequences. In this case, the man initially told Police he assumed the law was going to change in future and when questioned further claimed he forgot to register them. He had previously registered five firearms in November 2023.

“The Registry is a vital part of the firearms safety system that ensures frontline Police have real-time information so they can make risk assessments when they respond to critical incidents,” said Detective Inspector Alexander.

The Firearms Safety Authority-Te Tari Pūreke says the prosecution is a noteworthy example of the law around the Registry being enforced when required.

“It is an offence punishable by up to two years jail or a fine of $20,000 for intentionally failing to register a firearm,” said Authority Operations Director Superintendent Richard Wilson.

“We will take action against those who have disregard for the Registry and the law. People who choose to not comply are not fit and proper licence holders. They run the risk of not only losing their licence but also being criminally charged.

“The message is simple - don’t risk losing your licence and having a date in court. The Firearms Safety Authority is here to support licence holders to comply with law. If you need help with the Registry please contact us on 0800 844 431 and we can help over the phone.

“We know from daily engagement with licence holders that the majority are law abiding people who meet the test of being fit and proper to use a firearm, who understand their obligations and have no trouble meeting them. There are strong levels of compliance with the Registry. More than one-third of licence holders are now registered, accounting for more than 370,000 firearms,” said Superintendent Wilson.

The man’s firearms licence has now been suspended while licence revocation is considered.

Note:

The Firearms Registry closed a gap in the Arms Act identified by the Thorp Report in 1997. It was introduced in June 2023 following the Christchurch terror attack in 2019.

The Registry is part of a bigger system to deal with firearms harm in our communities. It is designed to mitigate the risk of firearms falling into the wrong hands through greater transparency and accountability when firearms are bought and sold, imported, and manufactured.

It also helps licence holders have more confidence when buying or selling firearms. They can check firearms have not been stolen.

Over time the Registry will increasingly make it more difficult for firearms to move from lawful hands into the black market of unlicensed people, including gangs, extremists, or criminals.

© Scoop Media