Air Rifle Laws

Since most of you likely dont have access to the ASNZ forums. If any of you have heard there was a murder with an airrifle and they are looking at tightening up the laws around them. ASNZ is currently disscussing what / if any action should be taken. There seems to be a fair bit of support for doing something about it, along the lines of trying to get into the loop about what is going on and trying to get things like airsoft, RAM and paintball not classed with airrifles (if you dont know these fire lead or steal at over 500 fps).

I basicly made this thread since I'm sure most if not all of you would like to know whats going on. I'll post some important things here. I'd like to deliver messages for you lot, but this will realy depend on how this goes as I've noticed not everyone likes underaged players, and some key members are suggesting we dont do anything to avoid causing problems by anoying authorities. However if you have a very good point that noone else has brought up, Ill make sure it gets posted.

Have heard about this for a little while its so damn anoying. The harsh reality is out of all the air rifles in NZ which would go into 100s of thousands easily one is used badly and makes the rest of us look bad. In reality they are not hard to get hold of and if a person wants to use them for a bad use they will. In my opinion if your going to ban guns you might as well ban knifes while your at it and what ever else. True fact is the people that are playing silly buggers with airsoft guns they are the ones that need to be delt with not dealing with the people that are handling and using them perfectly fine. Generally most youth if are shown and are encourgaed to use a air gun safetly will do so and is a proven factor in ATA which I believe clubs around NZ need to do. Is let the youth in show them how to use the guns encourage them and they will be fine and the sport will grow and look good. Theres always going to be someone thats going to use something badly but they are the ones that need to be delt with. So conclusion deal with the bad people not the good ones. If they introduce the law that owning a airsoft gun will require a firearms license it will wreak the club and put alot of people off the sport including me. I just plainly won't be bothered. Plus police will have to get so many bb guns and air rifles registed that it will be ridiculous.

Link to air rifle nz's forum that contains a link to the Arms Ammendment Bill as well asa summary of the parts that effect air guns.

No biggie really. The only thing that could apply to airsoft would be the need to be a licenced firearms dealer to sell, repair, modify or manufacture parts of an airgun. Which is a bit vague really. Does this apply to cleaning a gun or tinkering with it? I suppose they mean just upgrading it but for a law it is very vague.

But yeah, not so much of a problem for airsoft.

the problem like elle said is not about the actions taken now by the general public because things like that should never happen in the first place... in any case elle is correct in saying that what needs to happen is that the clubs need to get out there to show the younglings how to use them correctly, correct maintenance and correct etiquette for using an air-rifle properly.

The repair/modify part will likely affect us, basicly meaning that club armourers will need to have a licnce.I'm guessing changing the barrel, springs etc could fall into this. Ive had a very breif read of this, sounds like its mostly directed at businesses dealing with airguns. Cleaning will be fine, real firearms can be dangerous if not cleaned so that would be a bad thing to make illegal.

Tankmaster wrote:Link to air rifle nz's forum that contains a link to the Arms Ammendment Bill as well asa summary of the parts that effect air guns.

No biggie really. The only thing that could apply to airsoft would be the need to be a licenced firearms dealer to sell, repair, modify or manufacture parts of an airgun. Which is a bit vague really. Does this apply to cleaning a gun or tinkering with it? I suppose they mean just upgrading it but for a law it is very vague.

i do think it will cuse a problem becuase of attracting anwanted attention to airsoft rifles and the look alike side of it,they have a public reputaion of being "leathal" to the public.so for the police to abide by the public and keep them at ease they might pull more gun laws in to acction,but like some one said,we dont want to make a nusince to the athuritys,because we do a few things under the law that might soon be cracked down on.i do howver think it whould pay to make sure airsoft comes under a diffrent catogory the air rifles,

That is definatley true. We need to be extra careful when it comes to transporting and using guns. Or hopefully, the same careful as we are right now.