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2h ago

Police Destroy Gifts After FBI Director Gives 3D‑Printed Pistols to New Zealand Chiefs

Regulators judged 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

  • The plastic pistols were part of “challenge coin” display stands presented during Kash Patel’s July 31 visit to open the FBI’s first standalone office in Wellington.
  • Recipients included Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, NZSIS Director‑General Andrew Hampton, and GCSB Director‑General Andrew Clark.
  • The officials referred the items to the Firearms Safety Authority the next day, and analysis found the replicas could be modified to fire.
  • Chambers ordered police to retain and destroy the items to comply with law, and agencies did not say whether the recipients hold the special permits required for pistols.
  • The FBI declined to comment, and there is no indication of charges as questions arise over gift vetting and protocol during the bureau’s expansion in New Zealand.