'Dirty tricks': Pro-gun group hijacks name and logo of anti-gun group

A screenshot of a Facebook page using a cropped image of Gun Control NZ's logo. Photo / Supplied

A pro-gun group including a New Conservative Party member hijacked the name and logo from an anti-gun group for its Facebook page.

Gun Control NZ, an advocacy group pushing for tighter gun laws, is describing it as "dirty tricks" from the gun lobby and intellectual property theft.

Asked whether potential copyright theft was appropriate, New Conservative Party firearms spokeswoman Victoria O'Brien, who is one of the page's admins, said: "You're digging for a story that's not there."

It comes as lobbying from both sides of the gun debate intensifies, while progress on the Arms Legislation Bill stalls as talks between Labour and NZ First continue.

The bill would set up a national gun register and tighten the test for obtaining a firearms licence, and the Government had wanted it passed before Sunday's one-year anniversary of the March 15 terror attacks.

Last week, the timeline was pushed to the end of next week, but that now seems unlikely unless there is a breakthrough soon.

A screenshot of the Facebook page of New Conservative firearms spokeswoman Victoria O'Brien. Photo / Facebook

The Facebook page imitating Gun Control NZ is still up, though Facebook has now removed the logo after Gun Control NZ alleged copyright infringement.

O'Brien told the Herald she didn't know who had set up the page or why they had taken Gun Control NZ's name and logo.

Asked whether she thought that was appropriate, she said: "You're digging for a story that's not there.

"I didn't set it up. It's just a group. It's coincidence that it's got the same name.

"I just found myself added as an admin, and it's like, 'Yeah, okay, whatever.'"

Gun Control NZ spokeswoman Philippa Yasbek said the group owned the copyright on its logo.

"This group is deliberately impersonating Gun Control NZ to increase their profile and mislead the public, particularly supporters of gun control."

The group was free to say what it wanted within the bounds of the law, she added.

"But free speech does not trump copyright law. It's particularly ironic that the spokesperson for a political party that promotes the protection of private property rights is blatantly stealing someone else's intellectual property.

"Unfortunately this behaviour is consistent with other dirty tricks used by the gun lobby to promote their messages."

NZ First MP Ron Mark is leading the party's negotiations about the proposed second tranche of gun law reforms, the progress of which has stalled. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The passage of the second tranche of the Government's gun law reforms hinges on NZ First, and NZ First MP Ron Mark has outlined the party's concerns.

Those include whether an independent body - not police - should administer firearms licences, and whether there should be more exemptions for the use of certain firearms for shooting competitions or for pest control on farms.

Questions remain, however, over whether widening exemptions is out of scope because it was part of the first tranche of gun law reforms, which NZ First supported.

Mark would not comment, saying only: "There's a conversation to be had."

He said the substance of the bill was more important than passing it in time for the March 15 anniversary.