A recent case before Dunedin District Court shows the law treats licenced and responsible firearm owners worse than criminals, says the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO).

This week Gary Pani Amoroa avoided prison for a raft of drug and illegal firearms charges. Instead, he was sentenced to 12 months’ home detention and ordered to complete 200 hours of community work.

In contrast, new laws about to come into force will imprison a licensed firearm owner for two years if they forget to update their address details on an online register.

COLFO spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack says the new firearms laws will treat criminals like Amoroa more leniently than firearms owners who accidentally commit minor infractions.

“It is ridiculous that a criminal found with drugs and illegal firearms in his possession can avoid prison, while a licence-holder forgetting to update a form can be locked up for up to two years,” Devereux-Mack says.

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