Patel’s Gift to New Zealand Officials Illustrates Stupidity of Nation’s Gun Laws

New Zealand used to be pretty OK on guns, at least as foreign nations go. Then Christchurch happened, and they went down the rabbit hole of being dumb about firearms as a whole. Suddenly, modern sporting rifles were firearma non grata, and things followed from there.

Like many nations, they have a ban on things like 3D-printed firearms.

However, when FBI Director Kash Patel visited, he made a gift to New Zealand officials, and boy, did it illustrate the stupid.

Inoperable pistols gifted by FBI Director Kash Patel to senior New Zealand security officials, who had to relinquish them for destruction because they were illegal to possess, were revolvers inspired by toy Nerf guns and popular among amateur 3D-printed weapons hobbyists, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.

The AP first reported that Patel gifted plastic 3D-printed replica revolvers as part of display stands given to New Zealand’s police and spy chiefs, along with two cabinet ministers, in July. Police documents released this week identified the model as the Maverick PG22, a working revolver modelled on the brightly colored toy gun of the same name.

Pistols are tightly restricted under New Zealand law, requiring a permit beyond a standard gun license. Law enforcement agencies didn’t say whether the officials who met with Patel held such permits, but without them, they couldn’t have legally kept the gifts. After the officials surrendered the revolvers, emails between police leaders and firearms specialists confirmed the gifts met the legal definition of firearms under New Zealand’s strict laws. 3D-printed weapons are treated the same as other guns in New Zealand.

These were inoperable “pistols.” They didn’t work. 

Still, no one could keep the gifts because the nation’s laws are so idiotic that even non-firing 3D-printed guns are forbidden without special licenses.

Inoperable gun-shaped objects that were based on a toy.

Of course, that particular toy–a Nerf gun–is functionally similar to the Pepperbox pistol from the middle of the 19th Century, with a cylinder that rotates and also serves as the barrel for the firearm. Yes, that’s not that different from the Gatling guns and all of those that have followed from there, except that the Pepperbox wasn’t reloaded automatically.

Neither is the Maverick PG22, from what I can tell.

That’s especially true of the gifts. After all, the word “inoperable” is important.

Honestly, the rest of the world is so stupid about guns that I can’t even say I was shocked. Hell, I’m pretty sure Patel could have gifted UK officials with actual Nerf guns, and they wouldn’t have been allowed to keep them, so New Zealand’s reaction isn’t bizarre when viewed through that lens.

That doesn’t mean this isn’t ridiculous as hell.

It would be pretty cool if Patel made the gifts in an effort to highlight the stupidity, though. In fact, I wouldn’t be super surprised to find out that was his reasoning for doing so. If so, it’ll just make me like the guy a bit more.

And it’ll be the reason others will hate him, but since they were never going to be fans of his, I’m sure he’s not losing sleep over it.

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