Good morning
 
The below is the most recent response we have sent to RNZ about firearms
licenses. The way the system is set up, and the volumes we do, mean it is
often difficult to locate a specific response working backward from a
story, but this is the most lilkly to be what you are looking for. This
response is likely to be added to the FAQ site, but we do like to give
journalists a little time to write their story before we put the info they
used up, just as a courtesy.
 
"You asked:

 Under the Official Information Act, I’d like to know the average length
of time it took for people to obtain a firearms license in 2017 and 2018.
I’d also like to know the shortest, and longest, length of time it took
for someone to get a license.

 Further to this, I’d like to know how many people applied for a license,
and how many were accepted or declined, during 2017 and 2018.

 If the renewal of a license is different to obtaining a new license, I’d
also like to know the average length of time it took for people to renew
their license, and again, the shortest and longest length of time it took
to renew, in 2017 and 2018.

In 2017 and 2018, 67,098 standard firearms licence applications were
processed by New Zealand Police; not all of these were granted: 359 were
refused, while others were surrendered prior to completion of the process,
cancelled, or are still in progress as at 26 April 2019.

Of the 64,612 firearms licences that were applied for and granted in 2017
and 2018, the average time between application and completion was 46 days,
the shortest time was the same day, and the longest time was 711 days.
This does not mean these licences are still current now – some may have
been originally granted but later revoked, surrendered, or cancelled.

There is no difference in the Arms Act 1983 between renewal and new
application – the licence holder needs to apply for a licence again before
the ten year firearms licence expires."

 
Your request is progressing, although somewhat slower than we'd like. I
expect it to be sent to you this week.
 

Ngā mihi             

 

Renée Maunder

Senior Advisor

Ministerial Services

 

P +64 4 470 7119

DDI 44419

E [1][email address]

 

 

-----Mark Hanna <[FOI #10503 email]> wrote:
-----
To: OIA/LGOIMA requests at New Zealand Police
<[New Zealand Police request email]>
From: Mark Hanna <[FOI #10503 email]>
Date: 10/06/2019 08:27AM
Subject: Official Information request - Firearms licences approved
2017-2018 RNZ OIA response

Tēnā koutou,
RNZ reported this morning on information regarding the number of firearms
licences approved and denied in 2017-2018:
[2]https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programme...
The story said that this information had been released to them under the
Official Information Act. I have looked for it on the "Firearms OIA
responses" page on the NZ Police website (
[3]https://www.police.govt.nz/advice/firear...
), but this response does not appear to have been added there. Please
forward this information that was released to RNZ to me.
I would also like to remind NZ Police that my request "Success and failure
of firearm licence applications 2015-2019" is currently 37 working days
overdue, and I am still awaiting a response.
Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #10503 email]
Is [New Zealand Police request email] the wrong address for Official
Information requests to New Zealand Police? If so, please contact us using
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[4]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[5]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
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