Thread: Discussion Document regarding Arms Act

Totally agree @308. This will be a very useful resource. The current Arms Act is a tad convoluted with a multitude of amendments but at its core, it’s still a simple commonsense piece of legislation. A lot of the current Act pertains to dealers, restricted endorsements, pistol clubs etc. Pare back all the fluffy extras, modernise a tiny amount and we’ll be back to having the best in the world.

Some general points that I’ve been thinking about so far:

1: Remove the Police from any involvement firearms management, in writing their own policies and rules on the fly. Their sole role is to administer law not create it. Independence is key.

2: Get back to E cat endorsements or something similar. Why do we need to make pest destruction a business just to allow us the right tools for the job not to mention what happened to the competition crowd etc

3: Don’t mind a probationary period for new licence holders but unless there is a compelling reason for not renewing someone’s FAL, we shouldn’t have to keep reapplying. It’s a costly and largely a pointless exercise. Do it on a case by case basis, if need be, but if it is kept, then pare it back to the essentials. Currently, it’s really no different to getting a new license.

4: The legislation must fair and equitable across all stack holders. My thinking is a bit vague on this at the moment but the law changes post ChCh saw a lot of self interest amongst various firearms entities from what I read in the past.

5: There has to be a greater emphasis on consequences for firearms offences. This will be mean pressure also needs to be applied to the judiciary and will also go a long way to appeasing the anti gun lobby without costing us anything.

6: If I’m an approved FAL holder, this means that I’ve been judged a fit and proper person. The criteria for ceasing to be needs definition. Not subject to opinion or vague interpretation. The avenue for appeal must also be accessible and timely.

7: Why do I need Police consent form to post a piece of wood, etc. This thought covers a few areas but is generally all bureaucratic nonsense, achieves nothing and is time wasting and costly. I think it’s just a form of stamping authority and control.

8: Storage and transport of firearms needs the KISS principle applied. Too much opinion has crept in over the last few years from the ill-informed and uneducated.

9: Keep the change of address requirement as it has been. No need for security checks (this was never a legislated requirement, just another made up policy) Security is on you as a responsible FAL holder. Take it seriously.

Anyway, that’s a few things rolling about in my brain at the moment. Spend some time going through the current Act, it’s not particularly large, just messy. I’m sure there’s part/parts that relate to your own experiences and if you want to make a submission, it doesn’t have to be on the entire Act, just pick one section and make a concise, rational argument on that.

Looking forward to reading some enlightening posts over the next few weeks. Cheers all.
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