The Sporting Shooters Association of New Zealand (SSANZ) believes the recent Manage My Health data breach highlights the serious risks firearm licence holders face as a result of overreaching legal requirements involving health practitioners.

SSANZ has long expressed concern about data security, particularly where firearm licence information is recorded on patient files within third-party systems such as Manage My Health. This breach represents a significant public safety failure, given that the Firearms Safety Authority (FSA) proactively discloses firearm licence holder status to general practitioners under the current Arms Act framework.

“If the same sensitive information exists in multiple places, and one of those copies is not adequately protected, then we have a serious problem,” said the President of SSANZ. “In this case, patient files containing firearm licence information were clearly not held to the same security standard as data maintained by the Firearms Safety Authority. From a criminal perspective, why target the harder system when the same information can be obtained elsewhere with less effort?”

The Association warns that the claimed ‘public safety’ benefits of the current Arms Act are largely superficial. “Instead of creating a single risk point through the firearms register, the legislation has effectively multiplied that risk by forcing the medical sector to store and manage the same sensitive data through proactive disclosure requirements,” the President said. “This has created multiple ‘shopping lists’ for criminals rather than reducing risk. Whilst the FSA proactively delivers the information, there seems to be little concern about how that supplied information is then secured.”

Regardless of the outcome of the ransom demand, SSANZ is deeply concerned about the position this breach places the firearms community in. Should this information fall into the wrong hands, it is likely to be sold and reused, permanently undermining public safety. There is also a very real risk that similar breaches will occur again.

SSANZ encourages all firearm licence holders to check whether their patient records, including licence status, are held within Manage My Health, and to review their firearm storage security as a precaution. Members of the community should also speak directly with their GP about how firearm licence information is stored and protected within their patient information systems.

This incident once again demonstrates that no matter how compliant or careful firearm licence holders are, the security of their personal information cannot be guaranteed when it is held by third pares, whether government agencies or private providers. Until the Government is willing to objectively reassess these policies, the community must remain prepared to deal with the consequences of such failures.

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