Unlicensed firearm sales riles

UNREGULATED, internet firearms dealing is a concern for licensed Timaru retailers.

Dealers said private gun owners trading in firearms did not have annual checks for dealers licences, the requirement to record seller and buyer details or to store guns safely.

The retailers believed unregistered internet traders to be more likely to sell to someone without a firearms license.

The Timaru dealers all said legitimate owners should be able to sell to another licensed owner, it was trading they were concerned about. Police vetting meant that firearms licence holders were responsible enough to own firearms.

Smiths City firearms dealer Allan Gillespie said those flouting the law did not have to go through the same security and vetting as a dealer. Suppliers to retailers wanted confirmation of a valid dealer licence each year.

"I'm not talking about someone selling a couple of firearms, but these guys are making a living out of it. They are constantly trading time after time you see them in there, the same people. "

 Mr Gillespie did not want the law changed, but he wanted it enforced.
Why Buy New owner Wayne Golightly said the issue of people trading fulltime on the internet went further than just firearms. It was an issue Inland Revenue were looking at. When people had 5000 to 10,000 trades by their name it was likely trading was their job.
When businesses were paying tax, GST, overheads, product backup and wages he felt full-time traders should be licensed and pay tax.
The approach of licensing gun owners was appropriate. Mr Golightly said few firearms license holders would risk the serious penalty, loss of their firearms licence and the possible moral consequences of selling a gun to someone without a license.
He said when Inland Revenue looked at  internet trading the record from sites like Trade Me would provide a  Leg 1good track of the level of trading carried out.

Falconers Field and Stream Sports owner Stuart Falconer wanted internet sales of firearms banned.  He believed private firearms sales in newspapers could be more easily monitored. Mr Falconer said unlicensed dealers were likely to show less diligence than a shop owner.
Recently Mr Falconer had a young man wanting to buy a .22 rifle and willing to pay extra because he didn't have a licence. The rifle was wanted for ``protection'' not hunting and he has informed the police.
The Timaru Police have dealt with one private individual,  buying and selling firearms and paintball guns for profit. They are now investigating another person's level of dealing.
Timaru firearms officer John Wainwright said investigations arose from information supplied about the number of sales a young gun owner made.
He said under the Firearms Act it  Leg 2was illegal to sell firearms as a business venture without being registered as a dealer.
Mr Wainwright said there was a legal obligation to only sell to a firearms licence holder. In the case of internet or postal sales the purchaser had to confirm with police they held a license.
The police district covers Mid and South Canterbury, however Mr Wainwright estimated there were 7000 firearms licence holders in South Canterbury alone. He said it was likely many hunters would own several firearms; possibly a shotgun a .22 rifle and another rifle for larger game.
Hunting and Fishing retailer Gary Dix had not heard of unlicensed firearms sales on a commercial scale, but believed within the law this was likely to be going on.
He did not believe internet sales would affect his business because people liked to see and handle a firearm before purchasing it. Buying off the internet always posed the risk

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