The Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (Colfo) is at the High Court in Wellington today seeking a judicial review of aspects of the Government's gun law reform, made after the Christchurch mosque attacks in March last year.
The hearing is focusing on the ban of several types of ammunition and the assumptions behind it which the Minister of Police relied upon when making his decision, a Colfo spokesperson said earlier.
"Colfo believes that the banning of these types of ammunition will not make New Zealand safer."
"If central government powers are used to deprive lawful owners of property rights, such owners are entitled to proper compensation for the deprivation of such rights," said the Colfo application for judicial review.
Colfo spokeswoman Nicole McKee said Police Minister Stuart Nash applied the wrong tests when he decided what ammunition to recommend banning.
"All New Zealanders should be concerned by bans without compensation of legally purchased products. This sets a truly dangerous precedent," McKee said.
"Today it's ammunition and licenced firearms owners, but if politicians are able to ban things without financial remedy, there's no telling what's next."
Colfo's application said that Nash's recommendation on what to ban was irrational, asked the wrong questions, and failed to consider relevant matters including how relatively harmless some of the ammunition was.
The application said that the minister should have had higher regard to the purposes of the Arms Act, one of which was to prohibit items that pose an extraordinary risk to the safety of the public.
People found in possession of banned ammunition face up to two years' jail.
In court today, Colfo's lawyer Jack Hodder QC said gun and ammunition owners' property rights had been "extinguished".
"All the property rights of value are gone."
The hearing continues.
