11 May, 2025

“We would like to congratulate National and NZ First party Cabinet Ministers for maintaining the gun registry: a critical crime-fighting tool. Gun registries discourage disreputable firearms owners from selling guns to organised crime groups, as they know the guns can be traced back to them. Diversion by licensed owners has been a major source of guns found at crime scenes. Gun registries also provide greater safety for police officers, giving them better information about the risks they might face and allowing them to remove all firearms when they cancel licences,” says Philippa Yasbek, Gun Control NZ co-founder.

“More than half of gun owners support the registry. The main groups opposed to it are Nicole McKee’s old lobby group, the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, and criminals who want to easily buy guns. A criminal gun diverter, caught on surveillance tape, said he was ‘just waiting for the [2023] election bro’ as he hoped the gun registry would be scrapped. National and NZ First have now dashed his, and many other criminals’, hopes,” says Nik Green, Gun Control NZ co-founder

“As Minister, Nicole McKee set the terms of reference for the independent review of the registry. Given the level of control she had over setting up the review, it is ridiculous that she is now complaining about the findings. This is just sour grapes because it did not produce the recommendations that she wanted,” says Philippa Yasbek

“A large and broad-based majority of New Zealanders support a gun registry. 82% of voters believe the firearms registry should be kept. Almost two-thirds of voters believe that a political party supporting the registry has stronger law and order policies.

Notes:

Gun Control NZ commissioned a literature review on the value of firearms registers. This was undertaken by Jeff Loan (now a principal at Sapere). The literature review is available here: https://www.guncontrol.nz/s/GCNZ-Value-of-Firearm-Registration.pdf

Highlights of the literature review can also be found in this op-ed by Philippa Yasbek and Jeff Loan: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/117347138/why-a-gun-register-will-make-us-safer

“More than half of gun owners…”

https://www.guncontrol.nz/media/registry-survey

“A criminal gun diverter…”

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/auckland-cbd-shooting-man-who-helped-move-gun-to-black-market-matu-reid-later-used-in-rampage-sentenced/L2KTFWKAKBHHDMLRSU7FKHMFJA/

“82% of voters…”

https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/08/26/national-and-act-at-odds-as-kiwis-back-keeping-gun-registry/

“Almost two thirds of voters…”

https://www.guncontrol.nz/media/registry-survey

© Scoop Media