In an ongoing coronial inquest into the Christchurch mosque shootings, former police inspector Mike McIlraith, now with the Firearms Safety Authority, testified that he did not observe the firearms community’s concerns over a loophole allowing standard firearms licence holders to convert semi-automatic rifles into military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) firearms.
This loophole, unregulated until the 2019 attack, permitted high-capacity magazine purchases, enabling firearms like the AR-15 to be easily converted for increased lethality.
The inquest reviewed meeting minutes and testimonies suggesting the firearms community, including the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO), discussed this issue but that official records from the Firearms Community Advisory Forum lacked clear indications of alarm.
Nicole McKee, now associate justice minister and previously a COLFO spokesperson, allegedly advised government officials on firearms regulations but denies opposing closing the loophole, a claim former police minister Paula Bennett contests.
COLFO vice-chair Michael Dowling corroborated that gun owners repeatedly raised concerns, though he admitted they had not proposed specific solutions, instead highlighting potential risks.
The inquest reviewed several attempts by police to address the legislative gap, which were met with resistance or overturned in court, as well as a 2017 police briefing emphasising the loophole’s dangers, though legislative change was deferred.
Professor Alexander Gillespie from Waikato University criticised the government’s delayed response, noting a similar pattern in other countries where substantial gun reform followed tragic incidents.
Gillespie argued police had long been aware of the loophole, even as some firearm community members exploited it.
The inquest continues to probe whether regulatory bodies acted sufficiently and will assess the role of political inertia in delaying necessary legislative reforms to restrict firearm modifications and sales.
This article was originally published by the Daily Telegraph New Zealand.
