Police are becoming increasingly worried about the number of
powerful, large-calibre air rifles being brought into the
country. The guns can be sold without a licence to people
over 18 and at short range could easily kill a person. The
guns are marketed in the United States as "serious hunting
guns" and are powered by compressed air and charged from a
scuba tank.
They fire a heavy .50 calibre lead slug at about 600 feet per
second, and can be bought for as little as $70. Some
importers have already agreed to remove the big-bore guns
from their shelves after approaches from police.
The guns can be imported by dealers with a licence and sold
to people over 18 without a firearms licence.
Police said the law was being tightened to make it harder to
buy the guns but until the law was changed, police were
asking dealers not to sell the big-bore guns.
"Dealers are actually voluntarily taking those off the
shelves.
They appreciate the risk with them," said Inspector Joe
Green, police national manager of firearms licensing and
vetting.
Police were also concerned about replica 9mm air pistols
which fired a lead round which "looked exactly like" the
projectile out of the 9mm semi-automatic pistols used by
police.
One 9mm replica seized by police was tested and fired a slug
through two pieces of apple case timber. Mr Green said the
availability of replica air guns was a worrying trend.
"We would like to see some active controls." The Mountain
Safety Council's advisory committee on firearms safety
recommended imported replica guns be treated as if they were
real weapons.
In 1999 police shot dead a west Auckland man, Eddie Leo, when
he pointed a fake Glock pistol at them near Kumeu.
Several months later a teenager was arrested when he pointed
a replica Glock pistol at member of the public outside a bank
on Auckland's North Shore.
In 1997 a test asked police officers to pick a real gun from
a line-up of replicas. Only three of 50 officers got the
right gun.
The Arms Amendment Bill now before Parliament is likely to
tighten control of some high-powered air guns, including high
powered air rifles like the one alleged to have been used in
the killing of undercover police sergeant Don Wilkinson in
Auckland last month.
"The Amendment Bill No 3 has a section which would have
classified that as a firearm which means you would have to
have a licence to have it," Mr Green said.
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