The shooting of a Auckland woman with a crossbow yesterday has brought renewed calls for the weapons to be licensed like firearms.
Police said the 42-year-old Glen Eden woman suffered a severe head injury after a man in a neighbouring property fired a crossbow towards her.
[comment caption=Do you think crossbows shoud be licensed?]She is in a serious but stable condition in Green Lane Hospital.
Detective Senior Sergeant Stan Brown said police were called to a property in Ambler Avenue, Glen Eden at about 3.30pm yesterday.
"On arrival we found the victim lying injured with a 40cm long target arrow partially embedded in the front of her skull, just above the right eye,'' Mr Brown said.
Just before the incident, the neighbour had the loaded weapon and a number of arrows on his property.
The woman was outside on the veranda of her small unit, watering her pot plant.
The crossbow was fired and the arrow flew about 30 metres into her property, and struck the woman.
Both the neighbour and the victim's 16-year-old son heard the injured woman call out and they immediately went to her assistance.
She was transported to Auckland Hospital by ambulance and later transferred to the specialist eye unit at Green Lane where she had emergency eye surgery.
Police inquiries were continuing and charges may be laid, Mr Brown said.
Former New Zealand First law and order spokesman Ron Mark renewed his call for the Government to introduce a licensing requirement for crossbows to bring them in line with other arms.
"These weapons are potentially lethal, with the ability to kill or maim at a range of 60 yards, yet there is no requirement for crossbows to be licensed'', he said.
At present the most serious offence anyone using a crossbow can be charged with is possession of an offensive weapon.
But John Howat, chairman of the New Zealand Council of Licensed Firearms Owners (COLFO), said legislation could be difficult to police.
He said COLFO would not support crossbow owners having a firearms licence because they were not firearms.
"But whether or not some other licence is necessary I don't know.''
