Thread: Is an air rifle a firearm?

No sympathy for the arrested here, but it's laughable they put slug guns in the pic. Surely they are lawful property assuming the accused are over 18? why not throw the table knives in the pic too.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-z...-matamata.html

I'm more surprised they mentioned correctly that rifles had been cut down to pistols.

Technically, spring powered air rifles are not firearms. You need a firearms licence to buy, sell or own a PCP air rifle.

Interesting question..you can't purchase one under the age of 16, and you need a F/a licence to purchase one between the ages of 16 to 18. The licence requirement on the PCP air rifles arose as a result of 2 deaths from them , including one used to kill a police officer in Auckland.

Regardless of the licensing requirements, 'firearm' has a specific definition under NZ law and no air rifle or pistol (spring, gas, or PCP) falls into that definition. A 'firearm' discharges a projectile 'by the force of explosive'.

Originally Posted by gundoc

Regardless of the licensing requirements, 'firearm' has a specific definition under NZ law and no air rifle or pistol (spring, gas, or PCP) falls into that definition. A 'firearm' discharges a projectile 'by the force of explosive'.

Sorry, but I’m pretty sure you are incorrect and that the definition of a firearm in the Arms Act includes “specially dangerous air rifles” or words to that effect.

Copied from the Arms Act…

firearm—
(a)
means anything from which any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile can be discharged by force of explosive; and
(b)
includes—
.:..
(iv)
any specially dangerous airgun

Originally Posted by Cigar

Sorry, but I’m pretty sure you are incorrect and that the definition of a firearm in the Arms Act includes “specially dangerous air rifles” or words to that effect.

Gundoc was correctly making the point that an air rifle is not a firearm regardless of our stupid legislation. Whether you need a FAL for an air rifle is another question.

Originally Posted by MB

Gundoc was correctly making the point that an air rifle is not a firearm regardless of our stupid legislation. Whether you need a FAL for an air rifle is another question.

Ah, but he said firearm has a specific definition under NZ law, and I was pointing out that under that legal definition some air rifles are firearms.

But none of the air rifles in the picture in the article are “firearms”

It takes a brave man to argue minutae with gundoc especially on this subject.

Whether or not the rifles shown in the picture are legally firearms or not is irrelevant. For the purposes of the statistics presented to the public on how many illegal "firearms" are on the loose out there and how bad the situation is, all the items in that picture will be counted as firearms.

Originally Posted by Cigar

Copied from the Arms Act…

firearm—
(a)
means anything from which any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile can be discharged by force of explosive; and
(b)
includes—
.:..
(iv)
any specially dangerous airgun

And who decides what a”any specially dangerous air gun” is. Who writes this shit, they are lazy or write about stuff they don’t understand or they do it on purpose, to cause confusion and give police unbridled power

The spring powered Gamo Swarm Magnum Gen 2 is available in .22 and .177 and produces velocities of 1650 fps in .177 and 1300 fps in .22 yet you don't need a firearms licence to purchase, just proof that you're 18 years or older. Needless to say, that both versions could easily kill someone if hit in a vital area like the think tank. The legislation hasn't caught up with technology.

Gamo always do this to pretend their gun is the fastest. Newbies think faster than 950fts is what they need. Huge mistake!
At 7:55 he admits he is using some 'pba free' pellet at 5.1gns. TOTALLY USELESS. 8gns for .177 is normal and you can go out to 10.3gn (this is a must for longer range)
So what is the real speed of this rifle? probably right on supersonic where you don't want it (massive turbulence for a slug designed for subsonic speeds).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB7vkypheMk

If airguns are so dangerous, maybe that's what the police should be armed with? It'd also be good for the environment using those ridiculous 177 yellow pellets