How big a failure is New Zealand’s mandatory ‘buyback’ gun confiscation program? This big. The country’s top cops have been reduced to begging the nation’s criminal gangs to turn in their firearms.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government rammed through an assaulty-looking gun ban and buyback scheme following the Christchurch shooting. With the amnesty drop dead date of the buyback period fast approaching, New Zealanders aren’t exactly lining up to hand in their guns.
From stuff.co.nz:
[Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement] warned gangs: no questions were currently being asked but after the December 20 deadline, there would be no guarantees.
He warned gangs: no questions were currently being asked but after the December 20 deadline, there would be no guarantees.
As we noted earlier, New Zealand’s gangs have let it be known that they have no intention of turning anything in.
Sonny Fatu, president of the Waikato branch of the Mongrel Mob, said that, while some members of the gang may have illegal guns, they will not be handing them in as they are necessary to their protection.
“Will gangs get rid of their weapons? No. Because of who we are, we can’t guarantee our own safety,” he told Stuff.
Still, the police are approaching the gangs, hat in hand apparently, pleading with them to give them their gats.
Earlier this month, Police Commissioner Mike Bush revealed 115 influential gang leaders had been identified and police had spoken to 53 of them about how they were managing the gun amnesty.
It was proving to be fruitless, as the patched members remained “very reluctant”.
You don’t say.
A few months ago, the buyback was trending at about 10% of the assumed number of firearms covered under the government’s confiscation law. If they manage to get up to 20% before the December 20 deadline — which the government has basically extended indefinitely — they’ll be do extremely well.
It seems that Kiwi gun owners, like those everywhere, know that criminals have a stubborn tendency to ignore laws. And gun control laws in particular. Which is why the New Zealand “buyback” was doomed from the start.
That, and the fact that with no gun registration, the government has no idea who owns what, making proactive, door-knock confiscation impossible.
The government’s political opposition is letting it be known that PM Jacinda Ardern’s ambitious gun-grab has been an unqualified fiasco . . .
“It indicates quite clearly that the police realised the Government buyback scheme isn’t working and they don’t anticipate getting anywhere close to the lowest number of guns … they determined that they needed to send a signal to ordinary people that they would not seek to criminalise them by default – that message is clear.”
ACT Leader David Seymour said the fact there was a permanent firearms amnesty in place, was an admission that Parliament had completely failed.
