Thread: Gun shop owner vows to prosecute TV3 reporter

Originally Posted by Sidney

It really annoys me that I as a seller have to provide my address to an unknown buyer. It is not a requirement that the seller of a firearm, has their firearms license checked in this process. The point of the mail order form is to verify the purchaser, for the benefit of the seller, to allow compliance with the law.

It is not of any benefit to the purchaser or me that I as a seller am checked...... the police might like to vett sellers, but frankly being compelled to release personal address details to unknown people is dangerous.

You generally have to provide the address anyway so the buyer can send you the form.

Originally Posted by gadgetman

You generally have to provide the address anyway so the buyer can send you the form.

Yeh, last week I sold a rifle and gave my work address (mail would arrive a bit quicker) but the police at buyers end wouldn't accept that address as it didn't match my one in the system. Gave them the my home address and they were happy. Buyer sent form and a police signed photocopy of his license and I was happy to send the rifle. System works if everyone's honest. Unfortunately a minority aren't honest.


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Originally Posted by gadgetman

You generally have to provide the address anyway so the buyer can send you the form.

Originally Posted by JoshC

Yeh, last week I sold a rifle and gave my work address (mail would arrive a bit quicker) but the police at buyers end wouldn't accept that address as it didn't match my one in the system. Gave them the my home address and they were happy. Buyer sent form and a police signed photocopy of his license and I was happy to send the rifle. System works if everyone's honest. Unfortunately a minority aren't honest.


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In that case I ask which station the buyer is going to and which officer he is speaking to, I then ring the station and ask for that offficer.

I then explain that my AO has advised me NOT to let my addres become public knowledge as he does not want us to become targets. I use a mailing address for the form, then I am happy to give my address to that officer as long as I know it is the officer on the phone (this is why I ring the station landline and not the cellphone of the buyer while he is there)

Yes it is a pain and a hassle. But safety is paramount. I will be having a face to face with my AO next week so I can figure out a safe way to do these license checks in the future as this knee jerk reaction to a jerk reporter is just making it more dangerous. Its poorly thought out and wont work. It will tie up aditional police resources when they are better spent chasing real crime. (Like fraudulent use of a document to illegally obtain a firearm etc)

Originally Posted by timattalon

In that case I ask which station the buyer is going to and which officer he is speaking to, I then ring the station and ask for that offficer.

I then explain that my AO has advised me NOT to let my addres become public knowledge as he does not want us to become targets. I use a mailing address for the form, then I am happy to give my address to that officer as long as I know it is the officer on the phone (this is why I ring the station landline and not the cellphone of the buyer while he is there)

Yes it is a pain and a hassle. But safety is paramount. I will be having a face to face with my AO next week so I can figure out a safe way to do these license checks in the future as this knee jerk reaction to a jerk reporter is just making it more dangerous. Its poorly thought out and wont work. It will tie up aditional police resources when they are better spent chasing real crime. (Like fraudulent use of a document to illegally obtain a firearm etc)

Its probably worth noting that the shop is no longer in use as a premises due to quake damage and an ongoing "discussion" with a council that wants a car park there. as such there is no mail and the building is empty.

(It is the only shop still standing and they want to knock it over to make a carpark because there is not enough parks when they finish building shops on the empty lots???????)

Secondly our secure storage is not accessible by a posty and is also not an address so cannot receive mail thus this address is not suitable. I am technically a customer assisting the owner so my home address is suitable for mail but is not the address of the seller.

Originally Posted by gadgetman

You generally have to provide the address anyway so the buyer can send you the form.

You are quite correct... but I must be able to make evaluation of who I am talking to before I do that. I have communicated with TradeMe to make sure that they will not be requiring my personal information off me in the transaction, and will not be passing it on to the purchaser... the premliminary response is that they will not be doing that.

The simplest way to solve all this is to just get the purchaser to go to the police station and complete a verification form. That can be sent to your email address that you supply. Nothing else is required. The form completed is retained by the police, not by the purchaser. Simple and as safe as possible. No much extra work...