Another Arms Round-up

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31771, 30 August 1968, Page 10

Another Arms Round-up

A previous appeal for the surrender of illegally-held firearms in New Zealand showed the willingness of people to co-operate with the police in getting dangerous and mostly unused weapons out of circulation. Some 2572 were handed in, including, surprisingly, 35 machine-guns no doubt war trophies. In the belief that many more pistols, revolvers, and probably rifles are unlawfully held, the Minister of Police, Mr Allen, has announced another amnesty of three months, beginning on September 1. Persons who have acquired firearms with criminal intent are not likely to surrender them voluntarily, although immunity from prosecution and from the need to explain possession may induce some to hand them over without embarrassment.

The Minister is rightly concerned over the increasing use of firearms in robberies and the fact that some victims have been deliberately shot instead of being merely threatened. Persons who reject the amnesty appeal need not expect leniency from the courts if they are caught carrying arms in suspicious circumstances. Of equal, if not greater, importance is the risk of accident if weapons are left where they can get into the wrong hands—to be taken by thieves or carelessly handled by children. Accidental shootings are too common—and regrets after the event are too late. Adults generally should make it their business to get rid of unwanted firearms, whether legally held or not, while the opportunity to do so is available. A round-up of another two or three thousand weapons would greatly reduce the accident hazard in homes throughout the country.