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4w ago

New Zealand Destroys 3D-Printed Replica Pistols Gifted by FBI Director Kash Patel

Regulators deemed the replicas potentially operable under New Zealand’s strict pistol rules.

FILE - In this photo released by the US Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, FBI Director Kash Patel cuts the ribbon at the official opening of the FBI office in Wellington, New Zealand, July 31, 2025. (Ola Thorsen/US Embassy via AP, File)
FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation" on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on September 16, 2025. © Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
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Overview

  • Police Commissioner Richard Chambers and intelligence chiefs Andrew Hampton and Andrew Clark received the items on July 31 as part of coin display stands.
  • The recipients sought guidance the next day; the Firearms Safety Authority and police armoury found the replicas could be modified to fire.
  • Chambers ordered the items retained and destroyed to comply with law that treats modifiable inoperable pistols as restricted firearms requiring a specific permit.
  • New Zealand agencies did not say whether any recipients held pistol permits, and reporting does not indicate any criminal charges.
  • The FBI declined to comment, while the U.S. embassy said it supported New Zealand officials’ steps to ensure the gift complied with local law during Patel’s visit to open the FBI’s new Wellington office.