Thread: Anyone a member of SSANZ or The NZ NSA?

Herb, you well know my position on firearms orgs, so we won't go there. Even though I'm one of those "gun wielding nut cases" or what ever the pollies think we are, I do agree with the points you raise and commend COLFO for at least attempting to talk "them" round.

Where we part ways is where I believe COLFO are kidding themselves if they think logic and reasoning is going to influence their desired end game - the whole sale crack down on A cat holders being able to own semi autos. Almost 300 submissions couldn't tell those mouth breathers that this AAB is a shitty law which will generate confusion and inevitably result in a judicial review. Call me a pessimist, but I saw the thumbhole debacle as another stepping stone towards taking semi auto's off the open market. I'm not kidding myself - I know EXACTLY what the intent of the '92 amendment was, and the thumbhole stock issue and now this amendment. They do not want modern, accurate, ergonomic and effective semi auto rifles from being available to the public at large. The fact that they have struggled to come up with a way to stop the whole sale import of undesirable rifles, due to poorly thought out legislation has been a real thorn in their side. The new bill addresses that issue by giving them the ability to name what they please as an MSSA, rather than making every semi auto fall under the requirement of an E endoresment. They know that would stir up too much resistance from more main stream gun owners at the moment.

And this is where I'm getting at - you can talk to them all you want, but the end game stays the same. What would the MSR scene be like in NZ right now had no action been taken by R.Lincoln? Pretty abysmal I reckon. Mini 14's and crappy trigger rear Saiga's would be about it. I can't speak for any other service rifle club but my own, but giving A catters access to decent quality rifles to start out with seems to have drummed up more interest in the sport. No longer do you start out with a grubby SKS, then save shitloads for a budget AR on E cat, at a highly inflated price. It is a real shame it will come to an end shortly. I have made heaps of new friends and had some great times, meeting all the guys with similar tastes, coming out of the wood work.

They are slowly grinding us down, the best we can do is lodge court action where applicable to give them a punch in the nose now and then. It boils down to the fact that people want these guns, the authorities don't so conflict is bound to result.