Importation of firearms

Malcolm Lock made this Official Information request to New Zealand Customs Service

The request was successful.

From: Malcolm Lock

Dear New Zealand Customs Service,

How many firearms per year have been legally imported in to New Zealand for the last 5 years?

Please list by year and category of firearm

Yours faithfully,

Malcolm Lock

Link to this

From: OIA
New Zealand Customs Service


Attachment image001.png
27K Download


Hi Malcolm

 

Thank you for your request for information relating to the importation of
firearms for the last five years.

 

This information is publically available on the Statistics New Zealand
Infoshare website
[1]http://archive.stats.govt.nz/infoshare/T...

This will allow you to drill down to the various tariff headings covering
firearms as shown below,  and then obtain the annual imports by year.

 

 

You should note that some tariff headings, for example 9302 Revolvers and
pistols, do not require a statistical unit to be declared on importation
so the number of these items imported is not recorded.

 

Regards

Correspondence, Reviews and Ministerial Servicing Team.

 

[2][email address]

 

 

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Malcolm Lock

Dear OIA,

Thanks for the link, I can't seem to get any figures from it so will contact Statistics New Zealand to see how to get the data.

What I am trying to verify is this statement

"Customs figures, revealed under the Official Information Act (OIA), show between 50,000 and 55,000 firearms are legally imported into New Zealand each year."

Can you verify that this statement is factually correct?

Yours sincerely,

Malcolm Lock

Link to this

Mark Hanna left an annotation ()

I've also had trouble accessing this data at the provided link. While the table does show me the "Cost including insurance and freight" and "Value for duty" for various categories of imported firearm, the "Quantity" column for each shows only as ".." rather than a number.

Link to this

Malcolm Lock left an annotation ()

Mark, yes same result as I have been receiving.

Will follow up with Stats NZ

Link to this

From: OIA
New Zealand Customs Service


Attachment image005.jpg
14K Download

Attachment image006.jpg
14K Download


Hi Malcolm

 

Please contact us again if Statistics cannot provide the information you
are requesting.

 

The information shown in recent OIA requests is attached below:

 

 

These figures only relate to categories of firearms entered on import
entry and classified in tariff items that require the number of units
imported to be stated. It does not include, for example, pistols and
revolvers as the tariff item they are classified under does not require a
statistical unit to be declared on entry.  The figures also do not include
any firearms imported by passengers.

 

While unaware of the basis of the statement it would appear to be
generally correct, if not understated in some cases.

 

Regards

OIA team

 

[1][email address]

 

 

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Malcolm Lock

Dear OIA,
No matter what I do and even after consultation with Statistics NZ I can not retrieve the data from the data base.

What data I can retrieve absolutely does not in any way align with the quoted figure of 50 to 55 thousand firearms imported each year.

Can you please supply the answer as per the original request.

This information must be available as it has already been released under an OIA request previously.

Yours sincerely,

Malcolm Lock

Link to this

From: OIA
New Zealand Customs Service

Hi Malcolm

Thank you for your request for information under the Official Information Act.

In accordance with section 15 of the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), Customs will respond to you as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the request was received, being 15 February 2018.

Regards
OIA Team

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: OIA
New Zealand Customs Service


Attachment Letter.pdf
438K Download View as HTML

Attachment OIA data.pdf
416K Download View as HTML


Good morning Mr Lock,

 

Please find attached Customs response to your OIA request.

 

Kind regards,

 

Correspondence, Reviews and Ministerial Servicing

The information contained in this email message is intended only for the
addressee and is not necessarily the official view or communication of the
New Zealand Customs Service.

This email may contain information that is confidential or legally
privileged. If you have received it by mistake, please:
(a) reply promptly to that effect, and remove this email and the reply
from your system; and
(b) do not act on this email in any other way.

Link to this

Things to do with this request

Anyone:
New Zealand Customs Service only: