Deactivated firearms to go on sale at Wellington school
Monday, 9 October 2017
An 'arsenal' of weapons, including semi-automatic machineguns, is going on sale in a Wellington secondary school hall this weekend.
St Patrick's College in the suburb of Kilbirnie is due to host the two-day auction featuring a battery of firearms including AR-15 semi-automatic rifles.
The Militaria auction is run by Ted Rogers, who said when questioned on the suitability of selling weapons in a school hall that coverage of the topic was 'just fuelling the fire'.
He declined to comment further.
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St Patrick's rector Neal Swindells said the school had hosted the Militaria auctions for about 25 years without incident or outcry from parents or students.
Police would be present at the auction, which took place on a weekend during the school holidays.
Swindells said the hosting of the auction was a non-issue that sent no message at all to students about gun culture.
'It's for collectors – the type of people who make models or do re-enactments – the type of people who play chess.'
Jessie Dennis, of Peace Action Wellington, questioned what practical applications military-grade weapons such as machineguns could have.
Holding a gun auction in a community venue encouraged military weapons being seen as an everyday, acceptable part of modern life, which was also highlighted by a controversial arms industry forum being held at Westpac Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday, she said.
'It's time to think about whether we're comfortable with weapons – and the people who sell them – in our city, whether it's in our school halls or at the Westpac Stadium.'
Michael Dowling, vice-chairman of the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, said only those with a strictly vetted collector's licence could buy militarised weapons, which had to be de-activated once in their collections.
The auction was 'not promoting a weapons culture' but the interests of military collectors, who traded a wide range of memorabilia, including firearms, in a custodial tradition with the appropriate licences, he said.
New Zealand had the 'best firearms legislation in the world' and, unlike in the US, access was restricted. Licences could be issued only to collectors, sport shooters, such as hunters and target shooters, and those who used them as tools, such as farmers and deer cullers.
Police said they were aware of the auction, and similar events were not uncommon.
Education Ministry deputy secretary Katrina Casey said the ministry had not received any complaints about the event, and policies around the hiring of school halls were for boards of trustees to make, in compliance with relevant laws.
'If this included a firearms-related event, they would also have to comply with the requirements of the Arms Act 1983 and the Arms Regulation 1992.'
The ministry was working on firearms guidelines for schools, in collaboration with the School Trustees Association, police and a reference group comprising representatives from schools, unions, sports groups, firearms safety groups and the Defence Force. Draft guidelines were due to go before the reference group for consultation later this month.
'While the focus of the guidelines will be around the wellbeing of students and staff, we will also expect them to cover a school's approach to events involving firearms when students and staff aren't present – such as hiring out a hall on the weekends.'