Thread: Muzzle device counts as part of minimum length?

Originally Posted by ebf

write an email to Police HQ and ask them instead of guys on a forum...

it is worth risking your license for ?

if it is an issue, just get it pinned to make it "permanent"

Do that and you risk getting some officer's opinion rather than legal fact! Believe me, there are plenty of opinions in PNHQ that reflect personal bias rather than legal fact. The Arms Act simply states "overall length" which is defined in the Oxford dictionary (such definitions being acceptable in NZ Courts) as the distance from one end to the other, the greatest possible lineal dimension, etc. The police will tell you that the length is measured parallel to the bore but that is not the case as that only measures from the muzzle to a point in space. The correct length measurement is from one end point to the furthest end point (usually from the muzzle to the toe of the butt). The act merely states "overall length" and that includes attachments which can be readily removed with a screwdriver or other tool. Always remember that the LAW over-rides any police 'policy' and our laws are protected by a 'plain English' requirement (in other words they mean what they say in plain English and not some bureaucrat's interpretation).