Thread: Stewart Island police

Just heard a story , admittedly about 10th hand so cant be sure of any accuracy . but a party staying at a Stewart island hut ,having the hut visited by the police while out fishing and being done for leaving their firearms unattended and insecure .

can anybody confirm this actually happened

nope but if its true..fair enough given the volume of folks who are down there on tracks....hells bells I take firearm out when trout fishing as leaving it unattended is just dumb.

Originally Posted by gamereaper

Just heard a story , admittedly about 10th hand so cant be sure of any accuracy . but a party staying at a Stewart island hut ,having the hut visited by the police while out fishing and being done for leaving their firearms unattended and insecure .

can anybody confirm this actually happened

Dunno but on a TV show a cop was doing tour of the huts and gave some advice re firearms security to the hunters there - nobody was ‘done’.

While there in March, they were doing the rounds. One of our party was being dropped off on Lucky’s Beach by dingy when they were intercepted. Got the usual lecture and a promise to visit the rest of us at Yankee Hut (which never eventuated) Was issued a “free” H&F trigger lock and a handful of plastic chamber flags as a giveaway, then off they toodled.

We had a discussion about rumours of them confiscating ammo/mags found in huts but not sure of the veracity of those claims.

One interesting part of this is that the cop had expressed his “opinion” on his feelings about that party’s use of a break action single shot rifle. His dislike of them revolved around the fact that you couldn’t tell if the rifle was loaded or not. Hhmmmmm.

I would like to add that I had mixed feelings about the freebies handed out. On one hand I was somewhat disappointed that the rest of us missed out on a “free” trigger lock but on the other hand I felt that it was all a bit condescending and that throwing the natives a few coloured beads would make all the bullshit go away and we would fall over ourselves in forgiveness for all their transgressions against us, past and present.

And really, chamber flags??? what the actual fuck!! Those things are for Utubers, to show the firearms illiterate that a rifle is not loaded, they are not a solution for proper firearm safety. Pure virtue signaling!!!

Originally Posted by Sidetrack

And really, chamber flags??? what the actual fuck!! Those things are for Utubers, to show the firearms illiterate that a rifle is not loaded, they are not a solution for proper firearm safety. Pure virtue signaling!!!

Chamber flags are not for the firearms illiterate. They are not virtue signalling.
Just because you may not like them doesn't make their use wrong.

NRANZ ranges and TSNZ ranges require chamber flags to be used when the rifle isn't on the firing point.
Chamber flags are a simple easy visible way to see that a rifle is not loaded, the bolt is not closed and therefore the rifle is safe.

One shouldn't so quickly dismiss the use of chamber flags or any other safety measure.

So the Stewart Island cop tries to do something pro active for gun safety and all of a sudden you guys are spinning it to be something negative what happened could be interpreted in many different ways just because your slant on it makes you feel vindicated or victimised doesn't mean it's right.......it doesn't mean it's wrong either. You guys are making ass hats of yourselves by all jumping to conclusions that this was anything other than pro active effort to keep firearms owners safe without any facts

place a chamber flag in a rifle that is hanging outside hut door while owner is inside....those loopy trampers who arrive have possibly seen utube mentioned...and will feel a little safer
like it or not,in a hut on a major walking track you are in a public space/place so you NEED to be seen to be doing it right...hells bells 30 years ago staying at pinnacles hut on mt somers I would remove bolt BEFORE getting to hut and leave it in bumbag while at hut,rifle would hang on porch,clearly visibly non usable..and the trampers were great,they even gave green light for peski porch shitting hut possum to meet timely demise one night.
its all about being proactive in being seen to be safe
spoke to a fella recently who has found himself offsides with law by shooting a deer close to a tramping track/hut..... like it or not the wild open spaces are getting encroached upon.

Originally Posted by Sidetrack

Those things are for Utubers, to show the firearms illiterate that a rifle is not loaded, they are not a solution for proper firearm safety. Pure virtue signaling!!!

Unfortunately the "firearms illiterate" make a lot of noise and influence future policies. Any little thing that indicates to them that Firearms owners are responsible and safe is a good thing. You are correct that it is not a substitute for safety procedures but they do no harm as an addition.

Originally Posted by dannyb

So the Stewart Island cop tries to do something pro active for gun safety and all of a sudden you guys are spinning it to be something negative what happened could be interpreted in many different ways just because your slant on it makes you feel vindicated or victimised doesn't mean it's right.......it doesn't mean it's wrong either. You guys are making ass hats of yourselves by all jumping to conclusions that this was anything other than pro active effort to keep firearms owners safe without any facts

I absolutely agree, but you also make my point. How easily bought we are. Throw a few baubles at the peasants and everything is all right in the world again. NZ Police should absolutely be completely trusted, they are our friends, they only have our interests at heart. That narrative may suit some but we’re in this trough because of completely the opposite. Constant law changes, exorbitant licensing fees anyone???
I’ll reserve my judgement till I see a meaningful change in attitude.

Originally Posted by Sidetrack

One interesting part of this is that the cop had expressed his “opinion” on his feelings about that party’s use of a break action single shot rifle. His dislike of them revolved around the fact that you couldn’t tell if the rifle was loaded or not. Hhmmmmm.

Well, he's won daftest comment of the day. One of the reasons I specifically like break actions is the safety aspect. If the action is broken, you can easily see if there is a round in the chamber and if it's broken, it can't fire. Guns with a manual hammer add another layer of safety.

Good, sensible safety practices are about one thing and one thing only. The “KISS” principle. The more layers you have, the more complex and onerous it becomes. Mistakes will happen. We have perfectly serviceable rules and you all know them so don’t quote me range practices, they are a closed, controlled environment with their own set of problems right now and it comes across as a strawman argument.

Yes, I’m incredibly cynical about this, but deservedly so. I grew up in small towns, the local copper’s were a big part of our community, friends and family were coppers, and it saddens me when I see that relationship destroyed over ideology. I so wish to continue to support community style policing but currently, I don’t see much light at the end of the tunnel. It’ll take some serious commitment to clean out that rats nest and for those of you optimistic types, here’s hoping that one day they’ll have the guts to come to us and say sorry, and we truly want to work together for a better outcome for all.

Ok, I’m done. Peace to you all.
Cheers, Sidetrack

Originally Posted by Sidetrack

And really, chamber flags??? what the actual fuck!! Those things are for Utubers, to show the firearms illiterate that a rifle is not loaded, they are not a solution for proper firearm safety. Pure virtue signaling!!!

Chamber flags do have a use and a very good one.
On ranges, its a very quick and clear indication that the chamber is unloaded and safe without having to inspect the chamber and they work in all action types. Just confirm the magazine is empty or removed.
I never used to take my camber flag hunting but probably will now just for huts. While hunting they serve no purpose.

I usually just my firearm on the rack with bolt, ammo, mag goes into my pack. But i have always been in the hut.
Might be a little bit more difficult for other action types with no way to remove the bolt.

Originally Posted by Nugget connaisseur

Might be a little bit more difficult for other action types with no way to remove the bolt.

So true that. - and so often rules and ideas seem based on firearms that have removable bolts and/or mags.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

place a chamber flag in a rifle that is hanging outside hut door while owner is inside....those loopy trampers who arrive have possibly seen utube mentioned...and will feel a little safer
like it or not,in a hut on a major walking track you are in a public space/place so you NEED to be seen to be doing it right...hells bells 30 years ago staying at pinnacles hut on mt somers I would remove bolt BEFORE getting to hut and leave it in bumbag while at hut,rifle would hang on porch,clearly visibly non usable..and the trampers were great,they even gave green light for peski porch shitting hut possum to meet timely demise one night.
its all about being proactive in being seen to be safe
spoke to a fella recently who has found himself offsides with law by shooting a deer close to a tramping track/hut..... like it or not the wild open spaces are getting encroached upon.

This is why Kiwis are God's children - you just could not leave anything of value, let alone a firearm, hanging outside a hut or unattended in a hut while you went off somewhere else. It simply would not be there when you got back. Either that or a tramping Karen would have called in a SWAT team at the mere sight of a gun.

Originally Posted by MB

Well, he's won daftest comment of the day. One of the reasons I specifically like break actions is the safety aspect. If the action is broken, you can easily see if there is a round in the chamber and if it's broken, it can't fire. Guns with a manual hammer add another layer of safety.

Always break open and empty my Baikal when approaching a hut. And once I'm in there I break it down completely so there's absolutely no confusion. The huts I use regularly are mostly other hunters. If going into a tramper heavy hut I'll sometimes just break it down and tuck it away discretely in my pack.