Brian Tamaki says police have permanently revoked his gun licence over Modi visit remarks
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki.
The Destiny Church leader says four of the five matters considered by police related to statements he made around Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's visit.
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki says police have revoked his firearms licence over remarks he made around Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
The decision follows the temporary suspension of Tamaki’s firearms licence on June 30, when police seized his guns while the firearms regulator investigated whether he remained a “fit and proper” person to possess firearms.
On Saturday, acting executive director of the Firearms Safety Authority Bruce Bird told RNZ police could not comment on an individual case or licensing decision.
Speaking generally, he said decisions to suspend or revoke a firearms licence were based on the legal test of whether a person was “fit and proper” to possess a firearm.
In his social media post on August 8, Tamaki portrayed the decision as a warning about free speech extending beyond his own case.
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“If it can happen to me, you could be next,” he wrote on Facebook.
He said the Firearms Safety Authority had told him he would not be getting his licence back and that he was now prohibited not only from possessing his own firearms but also from possessing or using one under the supervision of a licensed firearms holder.
Tamaki said four of the five matters considered by police in the final decision related to statements he made concerning Modi.
But extracts of the decision published by Tamaki show police drew a distinction between protesting Modi and remarks they considered to promote violence.
“Police is not concerned with your apparent desire to protest the visit by the Prime Minister of India. Police is not concerned with low level disobedience in the context of protest,” the decision said, according to Tamaki’s post.
It also said police were not generally concerned with expressions another person might find confronting. Instead, police told Tamaki his words “speak for themselves”.
“Your speech appears prepared and considered, and your statements were calculated, direct, unequivocal, and repeated,” the decision said.
“You encouraged and promoted violence and significant property damage.”
Tamaki’s firearms licence was initially suspended less than two weeks after he called for New Zealand to be “purged” of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims.
On June 18, Tamaki accused Modi of “purging India of all Christians” and burning churches before saying New Zealand should “reciprocate in kind”.
“Let’s purge New Zealand of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims,” he said.
“And while we’re at it, if they’re burning churches down, why don’t we burn mosques and their temples down? Tit for tat.”
The remarks marked an escalation from Tamaki’s earlier opposition to Modi, shifting to language directed at entire religious communities in New Zealand.
Police subsequently moved to reassure Indian and wider ethnic communities, saying they were actively monitoring the situation and had referred material relating to Tamaki’s comments for legal assessment.
On June 30, police served Tamaki with a temporary firearms licence suspension notice and seized his firearms.
Police said at the time that such a suspension could be imposed while the firearms regulator investigated whether a licence holder continued to meet the legal requirement of being a “fit and proper” person to possess firearms.
Tamaki opposed the suspension through his lawyer. The revocation announced by Tamaki on Saturday is the outcome of that process.
Tamaki said police had acknowledged he had held a firearms licence for many years without earlier questions being raised about his fitness to possess firearms.
However, according to the decision he published, police concluded: “On balance I am not satisfied you are fit and proper to possess firearms.”
Tamaki characterised the decision as a free-speech issue, arguing he had been punished for political speech rather than any misuse of a firearm.
“Passionate speech is not hate speech,” he said.
He repeated his warning later in the post: “Today it’s me. Tomorrow it could be you.”
Tamaki said he had 28 days to seek a review and intended to do so after receiving the police investigation file. He said he would take the matter to court if necessary.
