Issue 73 - Oct/Nov 2019 |
On Sale Mon 7th October 2019

Our winter hunting has been fairly eventful to say the least, and we have some interesting episodes coming up for you next season.

Spring is just round the corner in the low country but don’t expect to see any signs of it for a month yet in the high country! Some of the most dangerous times of the year travel wise are coming up - with equinoxial winds, unstable spring snow conditions, and rapidly rising and usually high river levels due to snow melt and the generally unsettled spring weather. It is imperative you watch the weather and avalanche forecasts closely, and be prepared to postpone your trip for more favourable conditions. Inconvenient though it may be to have to change time booked off work, family commitments etc, it’s much better to live to fight another day - and you’ll be far more likely to have a memorable and enjoyable trip in good weather!

The big news is the second tranche of proposed firearms legislation changes are out – and there are several things included that could have a serious effect on legitimate firearms users while not making New Zealand any safer. The worst is registration, of which there are numerous examples around the world of costly systems that achieve nothing in the way of public safety. While the first tranche of new firearms laws have generally been sensible and defendable, some of this next lot are not, and everyone must submit against them. The government seems to be pandering to the general anti-gun paranoia of the President of the Police Association and other vocal anti-gun spokespeople, and what they see as a bit of vote gathering to boot. Registration will not achieve greater public or Police safety in New Zealand. The previous E Category MSSA firearms have had mandatory registration for years, and yet even for this small and heavily monitored firearms category, the Police could not keep an anywhere near accurate enough registry. How on earth do the Government think they’re going to do better when all firearms will need to be registered? Overseas and local history tells us the registry will be woefully inaccurate and extremely expensive to set up and maintain. How on earth is this going to make anyone any safer? How would this have helped the poor policemen who walked up to Jan Molenaar’s house in Napier to execute a search warrant for cannabis? How would this have helped the victims of the Christchurch massacre? Molenaar didn’t have a firearms licence and certainly wouldn’t have registered his firearms anyway. They would have no better idea with this proposed firearms registry if he had any firearms or what type they might be. And the Christchurch perpetrator used legal at the time firearms. How would the fact they were “registered” have stopped him from shooting innocent victims?

This whole registration debacle will just divert police funding and resources away from the areas where they can make a difference – and that is much better vetting of new and existing licence holders, and their firearms security. And a crackdown on gang and other illegal use of firearms.

The Bill will be going to a Select Committee process once it has had its first reading. We haven’t heard yet whether this is going to be a full Select Committee process, or an abbreviated one like last time. Watch this space and be prepared to act quickly if it’s the latter. We need to lobby our MPs and get sensible submissions in immediately to have any hope of achieving common sense if it is a shortened process.

The spot the logo winners are Pete Corbett and Karl Steele. The logos were on page 43 in the AJProductions advert and on page 30 in the BackCountry Cuisine advert.

We have drawn the Subscription Prize Draw and the winners are: East Kaweka Helicopter flight – Steven Joines, Stoney Creek Black Stag sleeping bag – John Hickey, Hunters Element Odyssey Jacket – Brent Kawharu, and Stanley Thermos Flasks – Andrew Gifford.