Who'd be a PM?

[Perry]

Scary PM Stuff Story
27 July 2017

He . . . said he understood the man had been renting the property.

The two women who died, believed to be related to each other, arrived at the house to carry out a property inspection along with another man on Wednesday morning.

The man in the house opened fire, killing the pair and leaving the other man with serious injuries.

Story links

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/95151388

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/95122805

[donna]

Why was he 'allowed' guns on the rental property and why was he not reported for the daily firing of the weapons?

So weird none of the neighbours thought it appropriate to report him - I wonder what they're thinking now...."if only I'd reported him...."

Odd.

cheers,

Donna

[Nice]

Awful thing to have happened, my thoughts with all of those affected by this tragedy.

However, lets not see this as just a risk to the victims as Property Managers. Looks like they were perhaps taking some steps towards security by having 2 of them attend; how many owners would have walked into this same situation ? However, without knowing all the facts, its hard to comment either way on how this could have been done any differently.

[Perry]

Why was he 'allowed' guns on the rental property and why was he not reported for the daily firing of the weapons?

There is nothing unlawful about that, per se. AFAIK, the RTA does not proscribe guns on a rental property.

So weird none of the neighbours thought it appropriate to report him

Again, depending on what he was doing and presuming all licensing requirements were complied with, there would be nothing necessarily unlawful about those actions.

[Learning]

Why was he 'allowed' guns on the rental property.

One of my tenants asked my permission to bolt a gun safe to the wall. I don't have a problem with it. If the victims were attacked with a kitchen knife would you ban knifes too?

If guns were kept without the PM's knowledge I'd have concerns.

When I heard this story this morning I did wander if the accompanying contractor was a bailiff or locksmith.

[Perry]

One of my tenants asked my permission to bolt a gun safe to the wall. I don't have a problem with it. If the victims were attacked with a kitchen knife would you ban knifes too?

If guns were kept without the PM's knowledge I'd have concerns.

The response to how did he have them is simple. If the possession and storage of kitchen knives, or guns, or jack hammers is lawful, then they are permitted in a residential dwelling as of right - without notice to the LL/PM. That's what the RTA implies in section 40 [2](b).

[eri]

i think the issue is

that he had mental health issues

was depressed, suicidal

and was quite trigger happy

if he had a firearms licence

it should have been revoked

if he didn't

the weapons should have been confiscated

as much as the mental health people are trying to remove the stigma

the reality is that mental health sufferers

are more likely to lash out dangerously

than most other health issue sufferers

[eri]

and now it seems he had already stuck a knife into a cop

why was he ever allowed to keep lethal weapons?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11895659

[Nice]

He had no firearms license, so was not allowed to keep lethal weapons.

So all the neighbours knew he had them, noted by many that he was out firing semi automatic weapons in the back yard, and yet did nothing about it. I hope they are all feeling somewhat guilty now about having allowed the problem to grow.

[Wayne]

He had no firearms license, so was not allowed to keep lethal weapons.

So all the neighbours knew he had them, noted by many that he was out firing semi automatic weapons in the back yard, and yet did nothing about it. I hope they are all feeling somewhat guilty now about having allowed the problem to grow.

You make it sound like it was a residential situation with neighbours next door.
Given it had a 200m driveway I'd suggest that it fairly rural - so a gun firing isn't so odd.
Did they know he didn't have a firearms license?
Maybe you have more intimate knowledge of the situation but from the facts I've read it would be hard to apportion blame to others.

[eri]

agreed

but some of his friends knew he had those grenades

and you don't need to very smart to know that NO ONE gets a licence for grenades

and no one with mental health issues should have pistols either and bulletproof vests either

we're not talking shooting rabbits with a 22 here

i hope they charge mr.thompson with manslaughter

it might not stick but some people but their hand up yo be made examples of

there was "no doubt" he had become very paranoid, particularly in the last two weeks.

"He was highly anxious, and we know he had acquired a huge stash of illegal weapons. He never had a firearms licence but had amassed a huge arsenal."

Mr Patterson had acquired grenades, rifles, shotguns, multiple pistols, bulletproof vests and other items.

Morrah said while at least one of his friends was aware of the weapons, people needed to know he was highly protective of his property; he never allowed anyone to come up to his house.

It was only his close friend Ross Thompson who had access to the property; he trusted Mr Thompson.

Over the two weeks before the shooting, Mr Patterson had started barricading up the windows and installed surveillance cameras around the house - along with the substantial stash of weapons.

When Morrah asked Mr Thompson why he didn't go to the police, or tell someone, he said he didn't think he was capable of doing anything like that; he thought Mr Patterson was joking.

[Wayne]

but i bet some of his friends knew he had those grenades

From your quote it seems at least 1 friend did - maybe his only friend by the sounds of it.

Nice was talking about neighbours - I have no idea if my neighbours have guns or grenades. I do know they don't fire them around the house - that would be illegal in a close urban residential environment.
Some people like to be outraged by things and assume stuff to feed that outrage.

[eri]

not long ago was pondering calling the police over a new rural neighbor who seemed to be clay pigeon? shooting during a party towards the house we were in

the pellets falling on our roof weren't dangerous but we brought the kids in as the idiot certainly didn't know much about gun safety

[Nick G]

Thoughts and prayers with their families

:-(

[Wayne]

Thoughts and prayers with their families

:-(

In most jobs, particularly in NZ, you don't go to work not expecting to come home.
Dog bites maybe but not bullets.