The New Zealand Herald

Checking 234,000 gun licence owners

Firearms Safety Authority receives 60 flags daily about licence holders

Acouple of months or so back, I was meeting with one of New Zealand’s most senior cops and the conversati­on turned to firearms — illegal, legal and nefarious innovation­s like 3D printed guns.

As an aside, he told me he had to get his personal firearms licence renewed and the rigour the process entailed — including three interviews (one with him and two with people known to him).

I interrupte­d him to say I was impressed that police treated him as though he was just like anybody else.

But then I had another thought that cut straight across that. Given the time and resources required to do the checks, shouldn’t we be prioritisi­ng time on people who may cause harm?

I may not have thought too much more about it if it hadn’t been for an invitation I had to join the Arms Engagement Group (AEG).

I was surprised by the invite. I’ve never owned a firearm, never had a licence, and my only experience with guns was shooting rabbits as a young lad on my uncle’s farm.

But the AEG is a body establishe­d for non-licence holders, the idea being that all New Zealanders, including those 4.7 million of us who don’t own a gun, are stakeholde­rs of this issue. Meaning non-gun people should have a voice, too. That was such an unusually cool idea — giving a voice to those not directly involved — that I said yes to being a member.

At my first meeting the very licensing issue I had discussed with the high-ranking cop came up. Changes were being made to licensing renewals from treating every person the same to a targeted renewal approach. Categories were created: low, moderate and significan­t. That means those firearms holders presenting no issues will be checked but checked more lightly than those who are. This makes sense, right?

Of the 234,000 licence holders, there are those — like the senior cop — who are of no concern to us, while others, due to changing behaviour, may very well be.

The trick is how to ascertain who might need more attention. This comes by reviewing the applicatio­n and what other informatio­n the police may have on the applicant since they were last issued with a firearms licence. Police look to assess what might have changed in the applicant’s circumstan­ces.

In an effort to ensure people remain “fit and proper”, police have a process of Continuous Eligibilit­y Scanning after the licence is issued.

The Firearms Safety Authority receives around 60 flags per day, largely, but not exclusivel­y, from the police database. For example, if a firearms licence holder is involved in an offence, a flag is raised.

If the incident is minor, no action will be taken. But, if the issue is more serious, it may lead to the licence being suspended or revoked. Somewhere around 900 or 1000 revocation­s happen each year.

Even if an offence is minor, for example a speeding ticket, but that occurs multiple times in quick succession, this will lead to an investigat­ion to check that the pattern of behaviour doesn’t signal something more serious underneath.

In this way, the Firearms Safety Authority is regularly assessing people’s fitness to own a gun. I believe Kiwis will be pleased that this is happening. Quiet backstage action is far better than learning of a tragedy on the news.

But while most of us only have a relationsh­ip with firearms when they spark tragedy, for many New Zealanders guns are an everyday tool for use on farms or ranges. And this change in approach also benefits them. If people who are licence holders have no flags, then they will be able to renew their licences with less stress and inconvenie­nce.

In the highly political world of gun ownership, it’s hard to see this approach as anything other than a classic win-win.