FBI Director’s Controversial Gift in New Zealand
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — During his visit to New Zealand, FBI Director Kash Patel presented local police and intelligence leaders with inoperable pistols that are illegal to own under New Zealand’s firearm laws. According to New Zealand law enforcement, these gifts had to be destroyed.
The 3D-printed replica pistols were part of display stands Patel gave to at least three senior New Zealand security officials in July. This was a notable visit as Patel was the highest-ranking official from the Trump administration to visit the country, where he opened the FBI’s first standalone office.
Under New Zealand law, pistols are classified as tightly restricted weapons, requiring an additional permit beyond a standard gun license for possession. While local agencies did not clarify if the officials who met Patel had the necessary permits, it is crucial to note that they could not legally keep the gifts without them.
The specific permissions Patel sought for bringing the weapons into New Zealand remain unclear. A spokesperson for Patel indicated that the FBI would not provide any comment on the matter.
According to New Zealand’s Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, inoperable guns are still considered operable if they could potentially be modified to work again. The regulators assessed the pistols to be potentially operable and subsequently ordered their destruction.
Chambers stated that the weapons had been examined after the officials sought advice the following day from the regulator responsible for enforcing New Zealand’s gun laws. The police were directed to retain and destroy the gifts to ensure compliance with firearm regulations.
Though the gift appeared as a genuine gesture from Patel, critics like James Davidson, former FBI agent and president of the FBI Integrity Project, viewed the destruction as an overreaction. In New Zealand, 3D-printed weapons are classified similarly to conventional firearms. Since the tragic Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, which prompted a tightening of gun laws, the culture surrounding firearms in New Zealand has dramatically shifted.
