FBI Director Kash Patel presented New Zealand officials with non-functional 3D-printed pistols earlier this year, which were not compliant with local firearm regulations, as reported.
During a visit to Wellington in July to inaugurate the bureau’s first office in New Zealand, Patel gave these pistols to Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, the director-general of the Intelligence Service, Andrew Hampton, and the Government Communications Security Bureau’s director-general, Andrew Clark.
“Although the pistols were non-operational when presented, a later inspection by the Firearms Safety Authority and Police Armory found that they could be made operational with certain modifications,” Chambers noted.
“To ensure compliance with firearms laws, I instructed Police to retain and destroy them,” he added.
It remains unclear whether those who received the pistols from Patel had the necessary permits, but they could not lawfully retain the gifts without them.
New Zealand regulations categorize pistols as tightly controlled weapons, necessitating a special permit in addition to a standard firearms license. Anyone found in unlawful possession of a pistol in New Zealand risks a maximum sentence of three years in prison or a fine of up to four thousand New Zealand dollars ($2,300 U.S.).
There has been no suggestion Patel will face charges.
