Abstract
This thesis evaluates the evolution of contemporary attitudes towards, and beliefs about firearms and firearm users, in New Zealand over the past three decades, with particular emphasis on urban/rural contrasts, the role played by various social and demographic considerations and by changing perceptions held by society over time. These comparisons seek to address the community perceptions and views about firearm ownership which, despite attracting media attention are based largely upon conjecture. By discovering the range of views and the extent to which these are held, with respect to lawfully held firearms and their owners; firearm ownership in New Zealand may become subjected to more effective management policies.
The international literature is generally divided in its recognition of attitudes towards privately owned firearms. Greatly simplified, this tends to be a polarised division, into the two camps of „anti firearm‟, and „pro firearm‟. Based on historical and survey data and the emergence of conflict over firearms regulation in New Zealand, the data which this study present suggests that we should avoid assuming that we should expect that there are polarised cultural identities and divergent views about firearms regulation. In particular, some of my data analysis reveals how inappropriate it would be to extrapolate without empirical validation specifying particular time periods from the well known 'culture wars' of the United States to New Zealand. Acknowledging those caveats, the simplified dichotomous schema just mentioned provides a useful point of departure for identifying distinct cultural geographies describing anti firearm versus pro firearms groups. The anti firearm group typically supports new laws to either prohibit or to restrict the possession of firearms. In contrast, opponents of controls of this nature generally favour tougher penalties for those who infringe existing laws and oppose laws directed at firearms themselves, on the grounds they are inanimate objects while their owners are amenable to training and are in charge of and therefore responsible for them.
In this thesis, I present an analysis and synthesis of secondary data derived from government sources, previous studies of New Zealand firearms owners, shifts in tone in newspaper stories about firearms, and new primary data obtained from surveyed views of participants. According to the administrative data, there are approximately 250,000 licensed owners and users of firearms (LOUFs). Non-licensed possessors of firearms are not included in this number. These data suggest there are between 1.2 and 1.6 million firearms in New Zealand with perhaps up to 200,000 more firearms held illicitly.
The most common reasons that LOUFs provide as to why they own firearms are recreational hunting and the enjoyment of having, collecting and using them. Approximately 10% of LOUFs belong to one or more firearms-related clubs. (No exploration of the reasons for non-LOUFs having firearms in their residence was attempted because of difficulties in eliciting indications of illicit possession, and the possibility of the firearms being in the lawful possession of another resident was unable to be discounted.)
This study found that LOUFs view firearms as a socially constructive activity that provides utilitarian (hunting and pest--control) and important social benefits as an integral part of their community. There were important similarities between LOUFs and non--LOUFs revealed in my data analysis. Similarities included a shared acceptance of laws to curtail violent offending with firearms, and assurances that only „fit and proper‟ people could own or access them. There were some major differences, notably, LOUFs' significantly greater knowledge about the law relating to the ownership of firearm in comparison to that of non--LOUFs.
Perhaps surprisingly (especially for observers outside New Zealand), relatively few major differences were found between urban and rural residents‟ viewpoints about firearms. For the study period, general societal attitudes had undergone important changes over time, however -- towards the ownership, possession, carriage and use of firearms, moving towards a generally less permissive stance. The publicity accorded sporadic mass shooting incidents for short periods of time heightened public concerns, but these were found to generally fade toward a baseline with the passing of a few weeks.
In the analysis of crime rates and socio-demographics across Police Districts (approximately province-sized administrative areas), the data showed that Police Districts with greater socio-economic deprivation tended to have higher rates of violent offending than those with less deprivation.
The analysis attempted to connect the disparate data sources mentioned above to a more detail--rich understanding of the viewpoint that the availability of firearms is not the sole determinant for their appearance in misuses. One important empirical regularity in the NZ data is that firearms held in lawful private ownership rarely feature in violent offending and that, when socio--economic factors were involved in the evaluation, these -- not the number of firearms of LOUFs per se ---- were major contributors to offending. The study finds no evidence to support the hypothesis that firearms in private ownership in a community directly engender violent offending, a factor explored in chapter 6.
The absence of a relationship between the lawful private ownership of firearms and violent offending points strongly to the firearm pool that is not lawfully held which is the key contributor to firearm--armed violence in society. Case studies of those convicted of such offending in other countries and the few which have been performed in New Zealand support this position.
A novel contribution of this study is that it has undertaken an examination of regional differences, where proxy values for firearm ownership are evaluated against three forms of violence and of violence involving firearms, finding for homicides, a positive relationship, but for the offences of robbery and assault, no relationship was found between these comparators. While findings are unique to New Zealand, this does add to the diversity of experience internationally about this topic. In addition, the study is the first in the country to consider and explore regional differences –– including whether there are rural--urban disparities –– in firearm ownership, rates of offending and firearm use, acknowledging that historical (socio--cultural) factors have a bearing on this theme.