6466: That's how many locals have guns

Matthew Martin | 31st July 2009

More than 6400 people in Rotorua hold a licence to own firearms.

Latest figures, released to The Daily Post, show that by May this year, 6466 people - or about one in every ten locals in the Rotorua area - hold a firearms licence.

Officially, this is an increase of 1520 from 2007.

But Rotorua District Arms Officer Mike Keefe said he has not issued that many new licences in that 17-month period and there were a number of reasons for the increase.

Mr Keefe said the increase was due to re-licensing and a change in how police record information.

"In 2001 there was an upgrade of our computer system and file transfers from around the country are part of that figure, but the majority are re-licences."

He said he had issued about 150 new licences so far this year and did not expect that number to top 300.

The figure of about 1 in 10 people in Rotorua holding a firearms licence was about in line with the national average, even though the district had a high rural population and excellent hunting conditions.

He said the figure also changed when taking into account about 100-150 people dropping off the list due to death, non-renewal of old licences and moving out of the district.

Mr Keefe said five recent shooting incidents in the area in less than a month were a concern but "not one of those individuals involved held a firearms licence".

International gun control advocate and former Fair Go presenter Philip Alpers said he felt the recent spate of shootings in Rotorua were out of the ordinary and there was no need to panic.

But he said New Zealand was lagging well behind other western nations in gun control.

"I guarantee every one of those firearms were obtained somehow from a licensed gun owner.

"Whether they were stolen, borrowed or sold."

He said more than 90 per cent of guns in New Zealand were not registered and New Zealand was one of just two western nations who did not require gun registration - the other country being the United States.

"Like a driver's licence, the person obtains the licence to drive any car and the object, the car, is registered."
 

A local gun club spokesman, who would not be named for safety reasons, said law abiding firearms owners were not the problem and were normally staunch supporters of the police when it came to gun control.

"Nobody likes that sort of stuff going on but they do seem to be drug or gang related."

The spokesman said it was also a reflection on New Zealand that frontline police officers still did not carry firearms on them.

"That still amazes me, but the situation may change in the future," he said.

New Zealand's Council of Licensed Firearms Owners board member Andre Doyle told The Daily Post the five reported shootings in less than a month was a concern.

"It is high but we have been trying to help police with policy to control this," Mr Doyle said.

"Rotorua encompasses a lot of rural communities and as sad as that [the shootings] is it means those people have access to weapons when they shouldn't have," Mr Doyle said.