Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Sorry, Not Sorry – Government Downplays Security Breach of “Buyback” Database

Monday, December 9, 2019

Sorry, Not Sorry – Government Downplays Security Breach of “Buyback” Database

New Zealand’s dumpster fire of a government-mandated “buyback” program has become even more of a hot spot of contention. Sources indicate that the sensitive personal information of gun owners kept in a police database became accessible to users of the buyback program website. The information includes names, addresses, firearm license numbers, and bank account details.

The database was established shortly after the government announced a ban on certain semiautomatic firearms and accessories, along with a mandatory “buyback,” early this year. Under New Zealand’s new firearm law, the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Regulations 2019, the possession of “prohibited firearms, magazines and parts” is now a crime, although affected owners have until December 20 in which to surrender their property to the police. Police obtain firearm license, bank account, and other personal information from owners as part of the buyback process.

The country’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, confirmed that gun dealers were given access to the police buyback database. “[N]ot everyone would wish to return their weapons directly through police stations so dealers were created as agent authorities that could be part of the buyback process. As part of that they were able to access [the database].”

The buyback database is administered by an external provider, the German software company SAP. The breach was unrelated to hacking; instead, SAP admitted it made changes so that the site’s security profile “was incorrectly provisioned” and allowed access. Police Minister Stuart Nash indicated that these changes had not been authorized by the New Zealand Police.  

The government and police were reportedly not aware of the security issues with the site until a gun rights group, the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO) raised the alarm in a December 1st public notice. Minutes later, the entire site was shut down

Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement subsequently advised that the data may have been exposed since November 27, and was unable to give “ironclad” assurances that the data had not been more widely disseminated. COLFO, however, released redacted screenshots of the website and advised that information had been downloaded before the site was disabled.

Going forward, the site will remain offline and the buyback will be implemented using pen and paper. The data breach is just the most recent of the problems surrounding the buyback program.

Pranksters were able to use online notification forms associated with the buyback to send police fake notices regarding firearms that would be turned in, causing “a huge waste” of police resources. Criminals, predictably, are refusing to turn in their weapons. Police met with gang leaders as part of a compliance effort for the gun ban and buyback program, but reported that the criminal fraternity (oddly enough) “had a different approach to law abiding members of the public, in relation to the return of guns.”            

When called upon to account for the damaging data breach, Police Minister Nash said he was “bloody annoyed” about it but flatly refused to be held accountable, suggesting that data breaches are to be expected in government operations (“400 data leaks occurred” with the previous administration) and that “it’s not my responsibility” to oversee a contractor delivering a government service. Asked to at least concede that the data leak had eroded whatever support the country’s gun owners had for the buyback program, Nash instead called out the gun rights community as the real problem: a “small group of radical gun nuts … called COLFO who are against this. They have always been against it. This is how the gun lobby works here and overseas.” Elsewhere, the police minister emphasized that the police were “doing a fantastic job on monitoring this buyback” program, and that the program “was going incredibly well.”   

Kiwi gun owners likely have different feelings about the program’s success (and the release of their personal data) than these dismissive and sunny pronouncements.

If nothing else, the data breach – and the government’s nonchalant reaction – give ample cause for concern regarding the next phase of New Zealand’s gun control law. The new firearm registry will be another such repository of sensitive personal information in the hands of the government, to monitor every legal firearm in New Zealand by collecting both personal information (the licensee’s name, address, date of birth) and the particulars of the firearm (identifying information and all transfers, sales and purchases).

TRENDING NOW
U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

News  

Saturday, June 28, 2025

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

Overnight, the U.S. Senate added pro-gun tax relief language back into the Reconciliation bill after the Senate Parliamentarian struck out an earlier provision.  While this new provision is not as expansive as the language we advocated for which ...

U.S. Senate Forced to Remove Pro-Gun Language from Reconciliation Bill

News  

Friday, June 27, 2025

U.S. Senate Forced to Remove Pro-Gun Language from Reconciliation Bill

Today, the U.S. Senate was forced to remove the pro-gun language that had been previously included in the Reconciliation Bill currently making its way through the chamber. We explained in a previous article that this language would, ...

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

U.S. Court of Appeals Backtracks on Adverse Suppressor Ruling

News  

Monday, June 23, 2025

U.S. Court of Appeals Backtracks on Adverse Suppressor Ruling

In a single sentence, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit added to the high-profile and consequential national conversation on firearm suppressors.

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

Just over an hour away from the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan – even as lawmakers worked feverishly to pass various gun control measures, including expansion of “gun free” zones – a chilling reminder unfolded of the ...

Urge the U.S. Senate to Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill – Contact Your U.S. Senators Today!

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Urge the U.S. Senate to Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill – Contact Your U.S. Senators Today!

The U.S. Senate has cleared a number of procedural hurdles and is preparing to vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill. This vote will likely come within the next day. The One Big Beautiful Bill includes ...

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

Canada’s Liberal government is pressing on with its harebrained gun ban and confiscation program for “assault style weapons,” but, true to form and precedents, it has been far from smooth sailing.

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Recently, House Bill 193 (H193) was reported favorably out of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, with amendments.

News  

Second Amendment  

Friday, June 27, 2025

Joint Statement from Pro-Gun Groups on the Senate Reconciliation Bill

On behalf of millions of NRA members and gun owners, we stand united in calling on Congress to uphold Americans' Second Amendment rights and zero out the NFA's excise tax on suppressors and short-barreled firearms.

Argentina President Milei Continues to Make Improvements to Country’s Gun Laws

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Argentina President Milei Continues to Make Improvements to Country’s Gun Laws

We’ve reported before about Argentina President Javier Milei expanding access to firearms for law-abiding Argentinians.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.