.22 WMR AR-15 Still Legal In New Zealand?
BY Herschel Smith
5 years, 6 months ago
Critics of the Government’s gun law changes say a loophole means that a lower-powered version of the assault rifle used by the Christchurch mosque shooter remains legal.
Police have confirmed that an AR15 WMR .22 semi automatic with military-style features does not fit the definition of a prohibited firearm under the new law, provided it is fitted with a magazine holding 10 rounds or less.
The mosque shooter used a more powerful, centrefire version of the AR15, with large capacity magazines, during his rampage, which left 50 people dead.
He had bought his weapons on a standard firearms licence and illegally converted them to military-style with easily obtainable parts.
The Government banned all centrefire “military style” semi-automatics, but less powerful rimfire .22 semi-automatics remain legal for people holding a standard firearms licence.
Those weapons range from rifles that use standard .22 long rifle (LR) ammunition to a cartridge more than two times as powerful – the .22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire), also known as the .22 MAG.
Northland man Michael Beckett said he warned the select committee considering the changes that the .22WMR would become the weapon of choice of AR15 owners and become a threat to the public.
He was surprised it had not been covered in the amended law and feared it was a loophole that would be exploited.
Beckett said the standard .22LR was more than sufficient for pest control on farms – he described the .22 MAG as a “double deadly cartridge” with 2.6 times the muzzle energy of .22LR.
Oooo … a “double deadly cartridge.” Damn. Must get one of those.
To my readers in New Zealand (I know I have some), don’t be satisfied with the crumbs that fall from the master’s table like a dog. Not that I have anything against the nice little .22 WMR (Kel-Tec makes a .22 WMR carbine), but a rimfire cartridge will always be a rimfire cartridge. It’s dirtier and less reliable than a centerfire cartridge.
You have a God-given right to what you have sitting inside your gun safe right now, and more.
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On April 19, 2019 at 7:47 am, Fred said:
“The mosque shooter used a more powerful, centrefire version of the AR15…”
These are my very favorite sentences to make fun of. Apparently, the centerfire AR isn’t ‘more powerful’ as the rimfire still has everybody’s panties in a wad as they scream about blood in the streets. Because you see, the only ‘power’ a rifle has is the fear it strikes into the hearts of tyrants. But really even then, it’s not the rifle, it’s their own inability to foster loyalty that eats at them, like a worm, it drives them bat guano crazy that they can’t have the complete undying admiration of the unwashed masses. That even one soul would defy them is cause enough to kill millions and millions people. The real power is in the word NO.
That video had so many problems with it that I didn’t even bother to try and spot them all.