The Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO) has lodged an official complaint this week with Parliament’s Regulations Review Committee over the conduct of Police in assembling new regulations governing firearm clubs and ranges.

The Arms Amendment Regulations 2022 were consulted on in March this year, gazetted in November, and came into effect last week.

The regulations were opposed by licensed firearm owners, because of basic errors made by Police staff writing the regulations, the over-reach in powers, and the failure to connect the rules with their required purpose of “safety”.

In a letter to Committee Chair Judith Collins, COLFO details how the Police misused the regulations power to set rules not intended by the law, and how they made numerous procedural mistakes.

COLFO says the Police’s regulations did not meet the purposes of the Arms Act, made unusual use of powers, trespassed on personal rights, and did not comply with notice and consultation requirements.

A central argument in the complaint is that many of the rules will decrease firearm safety, rather than promote it - by lowering numbers of clubs and ranges, and by collecting private information on firearm ownership.

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