A recent spate of gun confiscation in New Zealand shows just how dangerous a gun registry can be when combined with some gun owners opposing the views of those in charge of the government. And with constant attempts to create a registry in the United States, it highlights a danger Americans should understand.
According to a report at waikatotimes.co.nz, 62 firearms license holders recently had their licenses revoked, forcing them to surrender their guns to the government or another firearms license holder. The individuals were all members of the group Sovereign Citizens, or SovCits, who hold that the federal government there is illegitimate.
New Zealand authorities conducted Operation Belfast in 2022 in an attempt to identify safety risks for law enforcements. The focus was SovCits, and authorities identified some 1,400 people they believed subscribed to the group’s ideology. Of that group, 58 were firearms license holders.
One of the conditions of retaining a firearm license in New Zealand, under the country’s Arms Act, is that license holders meet the obligation of being a “fit and proper person” to hold a license. Having an undefinable condition like that within the country’s gun laws gives the government overwhelming power to deem anyone they choose to not be “fit and proper” and make them relinquish their guns.
According to the report, an intelligent report from 2021 “found that there was a ‘realistic possibility’ that a violent extremist or group of violent extremists, motivated by SovCit beliefs, would commit a spontaneous act of violence in response to a perceived assault by government agencies during a routine act of legal or regulatory enforcement.’” However, to date the perceived “threat” hasn’t resulted in any violence with firearms.
Over the years, the New Zealand government has repeatedly tightened its gun laws, most recently in 2020 with firearms registry that required license holders to update as they buy or sell guns.
“The new law is designed to stop firearms falling into the wrong hands,” Minister of Police Stuart Nash said at the time. “It spells out for the first time that owning a firearm is a privilege, limited to responsible licensed owners.”
The move prompted the International Bar Association to tout the country as a model for what American politicians should do to address criminal violence.
“The Pacific nation has introduced swift and sweeping reforms of gun laws following the mass shooting in Christchurch in March—a move that highlights the continuing lack of action to tackle gun violence in the United States,” the IBA stated in a news item following the passage for further restrictions.
Interestingly, the Sovereign Citizens movement is alive and well in the United States. In a nutshell, adherents believe the government is the illegitimate product of a conspiracy that subverted the original, lawful government. And they believe people can take steps to divorce themselves from the illegitimate government, after which it has no authority or jurisdiction over them.
If, in fact, we had a national gun registry or national firearms licensing in the U.S., it’s not a large step to think that the Biden-Harris administration or future administrations might go after their firearms by deeming them a threat to law enforcement or simply because their ideology wasn’t in line with the people in power.
So the state going on and rounding up guns from people who are antagonistic to the state makes those people more or less antagonistic?
So the last 3 centuries of British/colonial history?
Brits gonna Brit.
Humans are vassals and serfs in the “commonwealth”.
I know that hindsight is always 2020. I just wish that I had picked up a Norinco AK47 a few mags a few thousand rounds of ammo back in the 90s and buried them for a rainy day before the bans went into place, I will not make this mistake again.
Be better off with something semi auto in 7.62x54r the ammo selection especially AP was far more useful especially for the price at the time. Good news if you know a good blacksmith the AK pattern isn’t too terrible to put together from scrap.
In the early 90’s $750 would get you a Norinco, sling, 3 mags and a cleaning kit. Then came the registration and a E category license requirement with a $200 licensing cost. 2019 buyback/confiscation.
Don’t think any semi auto for the larger Russian 30 cal were ever that cheap as a package but Moisin Nagant and associated ammo could arm a full squad for under a grand well into the 2000’s
This was the asking price in New Zealand 1990/1991 if memory serves me right, again I should have picked one up, rainy day and all.
Know that feeling but space and available funds can get in the way of good sense at times. But how bad are replacement parts for ordering over your way? For those more talented than I AK’s are shovel ready projects.
That would be a problem, I’m just glad I was able to get out and gain US citizenship.
Disregard previous and build up whatever you like while you can.
The Brits and their satellite countries under the crown have fallen so far from the wisdom of the Magna Carta circa 1215 that vastly influenced the U.S. Constitution & subsequent Bill of Rights. No doubt in the U.S. the Dems desire to extinguish the right of the governed has no greater priority.
You don’t have to go to the land down under to see such foolishness, simply to the Turks & Caicos islands.
I’m buying a suppressor.
Right now, they are unregulated in New Zealand.
Just a quick note, Mark the New Zealand government is not considered “the federal government” just simply the government.
I was back there last year hunting red deer in the national Park running an integrally suppressed 300 win mag but the amount of requirements in order to transport Firearms is absurd not to mention the unlawfulness of self-defense with the firearm.
But we all know what happens when you register your firearms it always leads to confiscation Australian in New Zealand are examples of this the only saving grace we have here in the United States as firearms Ownership is not a privilege that is a clearly defined constitutional right
Never trust authority…
They will kill you because you don’t want them to do what’s best for you!
You fool…
Sovereign Citizens? Hmmm… that’s the same term used by small gangs here in the US who abuse anti-tenant abuse laws to take control of people’s home, have conducted frauds and scams on others cleaning out their savings and property, fraudulently getting car title transfers done without the knowledge of the rightful owner – until the car gets driven away – and claim that neither US law nor the Constitution are legitimate and don’t apply to them. You mean those Sovereign Citizens?
Sovereign Citizens? Hmmm… that’s the same term used by small gangs here in the US who abuse anti-tenant abuse laws to take control of people’s home, have conducted frauds and scams on others cleaning out their savings and property, fraudulently getting car title transfers done without the knowledge of the rightful owner – until the car gets driven away – and claim that neither US law nor the Constitution are legitimate and don’t apply to them. You mean those Sovereign Citizens?
I always thought “Sovereign Citizens” are a bunch of loonies who are using dubious (at best) to ridiculous (at worst) arguments to avoid taxes and fines. They want the advantages of a modern industrial society without any of the obligations and responsibilities.
It is ironic – had the shooter in the Christchurch Massacre ditched the gun and insread siphoned the gas out of his car, he could have killed everyone in the building at the first site.
The perp’s self-admitted aim was more gun control.
There is a lesson here, one that law abiding gun owner’s should take to heart and never forget. The authorities should not be trusted, cannot be trusted beyond whatever distance they can be thrown. The lesson and realizations came to late for New Zealanders. American gun owners should NOT make the same mistakes.
The government’s most feared item. Because those same guns in the people’s hands say in china, Russia, and every other socialist or communistic nightmare country would not exist as such! Guns Keep Us Free.
Freedom should not entail distrust of a government.
What kind of rational being trusts any government?
“What kind of rational being trusts any government?”
The people in government do.
While I work for the government and trust it even less than before I did I will acknowledge that is often true for most workers.
“…I work for the government and trust it even less than before I did…”
During 10yrs as a federal employee, I was utterly amazed at the fear people had of losing their job if they took a risk, despite knowing it was virtually impossible to fire a govt employee.
Probably more a fear of being denied promotion or being transferred to a position where actual work was assigned. Unless federal is way different than state
“Probably more a fear of being denied promotion or being transferred to a position where actual work was assigned…”
Kinda my conclusion.
“Freedom should not entail distrust of a government.”
The nation was founded and structured embodying distrust of government.
Your assertion is spot on.
What you call yourself should not affect your rights, only what you DO , of course, as stated , this government says having a firearm is a “privilege” . Kamela/etc. would love to inflict that on us here in the US, but they keep running into our pesky Second Amendment .
I’m assuming once KH and TW are in office the wheels will start turning to get rid of that ‘pesky second amendment’.
“I’m assuming once KH and TW are in office the wheels will start turning to get rid of that ‘pesky second amendment’.”
Newsome already called for proposing and amendment to that effect. Game on?