Firearms law reform opponents to protest

Alexandra pest contractor Robert Andrews will protest the second tranche of amendments to the...
Alexandra pest contractor Robert Andrews will protest the second tranche of amendments to the Firearms Act this weekend. Photo: Adam Burns
A Central Otago man says responsible gun owners like him are being unfairly tagged as the Government continues gun law reforms.

Galloway pest contractor Robert Andrews owns several guns for work, recreation and as a collector, and is set to lead a protest tomorrow, in response to changes to New Zealand’s firearms legislation.

Other demonstrations are to be held in Dunedin, Auckland, Christchurch and Ashburton.

"Since the Christchurch shooting we’ve been singled out as public enemy number one ... and we’re not," Mr Andrews said.

"We’ve done nothing wrong."

The Government implemented a ban on most military-style semi-automatic firearms and assault rifles in the aftermath of the March 15 Christchurch mosque shootings.

A second round of gun law reform has been proposed which would establish a national register and tighten the vetting process for firearms licence applications.

Mr Andrews said that the Government’s gun reforms were not addressing the root cause of the Christchurch mosque terror attacks, which he believed was a failure by police to vet the accused correctly.

A licensed firearms dealer presented a submission at a parliamentary select committee a fortnight ago, claiming he received a police mail order form from the Dunedin arms officer in December 2017 to supply the accused with 2300 rounds of ammunition.

The Government’s firearms buy-back scheme is also scheduled to end next month.

Mr Andrews said he had handed over four firearms along with accessories during the buy-back.

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