When Cash Patel Presented 3D-Printed Pistols to New Zealand Police Officers

• The pistols, presented by Cash Patel, were 3D-printed replicas.
• The New Zealand officers willingly donated their firearms for destruction.
• New Zealand has strict laws regarding the possession of firearms.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The pistols, gifted by FBI Director Cash Patel to senior officers of New Zealand's police, were illegal replicas made from plastic that were part of exhibition stands that Patel donated to police and intelligence services in New Zealand, as well as two ministries in July.

The pistols are regulated under the strict laws of New Zealand, which require that any firearm be registered with a valid license for possession. Rights organizations did not clarify whether the officers who encountered Patel had such licenses, as without them they could not legally possess the gifts.

After the officers surrendered the replicas, electronic communications between police leaders and specialists from the firearms unit confirmed that the gifts complied with the legal definition of firearms under New Zealand’s strict laws. 3D-printed firearms in New Zealand are regulated in the same way as other types of firearms.

Patel, the highest-ranking officer in the Trump administration who presented New Zealand, was in Wellington for the opening of the first independent FBI office in the country. Patel’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

In New Zealand, illegal firearms are considered functional, which can be modified for use in crime. In early September, days after Patel’s visit, the head of the police arsenal, Daniel Millar, sent his subordinates an electronic letter in which he described how easy it would be to make a firearm usable.

The New Zealand police union reported in July that the Maverick PG22 model was among the most commonly used 3D-printed pistols that were removed by police. Millar noted that his team had requested the possibility of retaining one of the pistols for testing, but the request was denied, and the firearms were destroyed on the 25th of August.

Experts point to risks associated with the possibility of converting illegal pistols into weapons. Professor Alexander Gillispie from the University of Waikato noted that "the first illegal firearm is that which can be used to arm a criminal."

Three senior officials of New Zealand's rights organizations received gifts on July 31. Among them were Mark Mitchell, the police minister, and Judith Collins, who oversees military and intelligence services. All five officers willingly surrendered their firearms.

New Zealand tightened control over firearms after the 2019 terrorist attack, when 51 Muslim worshippers were killed. Ownership of firearms in New Zealand is prevalent, but not a right, and the culture of gun ownership here is not widespread.

Tags: Crime