By Craig M
Newshub has uncovered a loophole in the Government’s gun ban which means previously restricted firearms are now available to hundreds of thousands more people.
[…] The Hammerli .22 calibre semi-automatic holding a 20-round magazine is illegal in New Zealand. However, a Hammerli .22 calibre semi-automatic with a 10-round is legal – and for sale at Gun City.
[…] Had this gun been for sale before the attacks, buyers would have needed a special licence. It has a free-standing pistol grip that made it a restricted firearm, meaning its owner would need an E endorsement on their license.
However, those E endorsements were scrapped by the gun ban, meaning this weapon is now available to every single firearms licence-holder in New Zealand.
Only 7500 people had E endorsements. 245,000 have a standard firearms licence.
Newshub
I know many Oilers already understand New Zealand’s gun laws, but this post is for those of you who don’t.
To break down the “loophole”, specifically regarding the Hammerli .22, this is their argument:
The Hammerli .22 calibre semi-automatic holding a 20-round magazine is illegal in New Zealand. However, a Hammerli .22 calibre semi-automatic with a 10-round is legal – and for sale at Gun City.
- OK; well, for a start, no 20 round magazines for the Hammerli .22 are even for sale in New Zealand and the firearm was only made for sale here after the E-cat laws were scrapped. It is also to my understanding that police approved the sale of these firearms because they met the legal requirements.
“The semi-automatic weapon used to kill 51 innocent people was also used to kill bunny rabbits and possums,” says Wadesworth. (Note: Edward Wadesworth was the secretary of the Linwood Mosque, the second mosque attacked by the Christchurch gunman.)
- Almost all calibres will kill bunny rabbits and possums. It’s just whether it’s overkill or not.
The magazine can also be quickly changed, bringing in 10 more rounds in less than five seconds.
- Anyone, with practice, can change a detachable magazine on any rifle in less than 5 seconds.
Following the mosque attacks, police demonstrated how magazines can be taped together to shoot for longer.
- No, you still have to physically remove the empty magazine to swap it for the next loaded one, taped or not. The 10/22 platform even has different magazine couplers. These are still legal, and don’t increase the amount of ammo a magazine holds.
Had this gun been for sale before the attacks, buyers would have needed a special licence. It has a free-standing pistol grip that made it a restricted firearm, meaning its owner would need an E endorsement on their license.”
- Not an issue as, had the firearm been sold before the law changes, it would have been made available as A-cat compliant. And a special note here:
The Hammerli .22 comes with an A-cat compliant bar that restricts its collapsible stock.
Also, a collapsible stock and a free-standing pistol grip have absolutely no bearing on the lethality of a firearm. In fact, a judge has even ruled that a free-standing pistol grip is a safety feature because it means the firearm can be handled more safely.
A blunt call, to fix up a significant unintended oversight.
No, just another ignorant gun-grabber talking bollocks, having neither any knowledge of firearms nor the laws that apply to them.
