FBI Director Kash Patel presented inoperable, 3D-printed pistols to senior police and intelligence officials during a visit to New Zealand in July, gifts that were later destroyed after being deemed illegal under the country’s strict gun laws.
The pistols, part of display stands, were given to at least three top New Zealand security leaders during Patel’s trip to Wellington to inaugurate the FBI’s first standalone office in the country.
Officials sought guidance from the regulator overseeing New Zealand’s gun laws. Upon inspection, authorities concluded that the pistols could potentially be operable.
“To ensure compliance with firearms laws, I instructed Police to retain and destroy them,” Chambers said.
Why Were The Inoperable Pistols Destroyed?
Under New Zealand law, pistols are heavily regulated, requiring special permits in addition to a standard gun license. Law enforcement authorities did not confirm whether the recipients held such permits, but without them, the gifts could not legally remain in their possession.
It is unclear what permissions Patel obtained to bring the firearms into New Zealand.
In New Zealand, even inoperable firearms are treated as potentially operable if modifications could make them functional. Gun regulators determined that the 3D-printed pistols could potentially be used and were subsequently destroyed, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told the AP.
Chambers did not specify how the pistols were rendered inoperable prior to being presented, though such modifications typically involve disabling the firing mechanism.
Who Were the Recipients of Kash Patel’s Gifts?
Three of New Zealand’s highest-ranking law enforcement and intelligence officials confirmed receiving the gifts on July 31. They included Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, Andrew Hampton, Director-General of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), and Andrew Clark, Director-General of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), the country’s technical intelligence agency.
A spokesperson for the spy agencies described the gifts as “a challenge coin display stand” that incorporated the 3D-printed pistols “as part of the design.”
Prompt Regulatory Review and Destruction
New Zealand Gun Ban
3D-printed firearms are regulated in the same way as traditional guns in New Zealand. The country tightened its gun laws following the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, where a legally armed Australian man used semiautomatic rifles to kill 51 Muslim worshippers.
The pistols given by Patel were not the semiautomatic models banned after Christchurch, but New Zealand law imposes strict controls on handguns, requiring specific permits for possession. Unlike the United States, New Zealand does not have a strong gun culture, and ownership is treated as a privilege rather than a right.
While firearms exist, particularly in rural areas for pest control, violent gun crime is rare. Many urban residents may never encounter a gun, and front-line police officers typically do not carry firearms while on patrol, keeping them instead locked in vehicles.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
