iminshull wrote:this not true testntools were selling them thats cumbustion cannon you need a firearms licence because technically its a firearm i rang the firearms officer yesterday at manukau you cant use in public place otherwise it will get converskated where did you get the information about fines all he said was any dammage you pay for
Well I wrote that 6 years ago so I've learnt a bit since then, still our situation isn't great. It'd help if you spoke coherent English so I could understand you better too.
The information about the fines would have come from the possible offences one could be convicted of for using a combustion spudgun in public. As testntools states, a firearm is the minimum licence required to own a combustion spudgun. However, a combustion spudgun could still fall under a dangerous weapon so you have to be cautious about not only firearm laws that apply to it but also laws that apply to something that can be used as a weapon. Here are some paraphrased laws from memory that you have to be careful about: improper use of a firearm, using a firearm in public, using a firearm so that it annoys or disturbs neighbours, damaging public property, unlawful use of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, not storing a firearm safely, using a firearm whilst intoxicated, etc.
If you're convicted of some of those offences, you can face a $4000 fine and/or a 6 month prison sentence IIRC. Since a combustion isn't a proper gun, you could easily be caught committing a firearm offence that you wouldn't think applied to a PVC cannon such as driving around with a combustion cannon in your car.
Basically, don't use a combustion cannon in public... ever (even if you have a firearms licence). If you use it on private property, don't do so in a neighbourhood and check with your neighbours first. If you damage private or public property or your neighbours complain, the police would legally have the right to search your house for other firearms if you have a firearms licence. IIRC, in the Arms Code it stipulates that the police may search your house without a warrant (but with just cause) if you have a firearms licence and they have reason to believe you are using a firearm unlawfully.
Thus, with or without a firearms licence you are subject to firearm-related laws and can easily be charged with multiple firearm offences for being caught with a combustion spudgun even if you are on private property. Having a firearms licence probably helps a bit, but I can see many ways for a police officer having a bad day to charge you with offences even if you have a licence and are on private property.
I've also learnt that the air gun laws aren't so black and white either. Apparently, the police reserve the right to treat certain air guns as firearms or a dangerous weapon if they see fit. So while a pneumatic cannon technically falls under the air gun laws and can be used without a licence if you're over 18, the police can probably charge you with firearm-related, or dangerous weapon related, offences if your air gun is particularly dangerous (a golf ball gun probably qualifies).
For example, I was told this by a local arms officer: "If your airgun is precharged from a dive tank or similar then it would be a Specially dangerous airgun and you would need to have a firearms licence".
TL;DR - What I said 6 years ago still has some truth to it. Because a combustion is treated as a firearm, you can be caught off-guard by a failure on your behalf to treat it as such. If you have it in the boot of your car, you could technically be charged with unlawful possession of a firearm (or whatever the offence related to carrying a firearm without just cause is called) or other offences stated above that could land you with a firearm offence conviction and a hefty fine.