Waitakere Mayor aims to run gunslingers out of town

Act leader Rodney Hide poses with an AK-47 at an arms fair. Photo / Supplied

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey is planning to run gunslingers out of the West.

Mr Harvey no longer wants Waitakere City to host the Auckland Arms Fair, which held its 26th annual show at the council-owned West Wave Recreation Centre in Henderson three weeks ago.

He said complaints about the show, rising violence and recent shootings in Nelson and Hokitika which left four people dead had led to his decision.

"There's growing unrest in this country about the escalation of violence and the use of guns.

"I think the signal that a gun show puts out in the community, to me, in a city like Waitakere is no longer acceptable. For a city that hosts so many environmental conferences, seminars, it's just out of keeping with our philosophy.

"I think that the gun show glamourises guns, handguns and weaponry.

"This is not about hunters," he said.

"It's not the Deerstalkers Federation conference, believe me. The guns that are there are not in the main hunting guns. Go look - they're AK-47s, they're mostly fake and real Rambo gang guns, plus knives which sure ain't hunting knives."

Mr Harvey said at least six people had complained to him about the show and he planned to ask the council not to accept another booking from the organisers.

"I've had so many complaints from people saying how can this city, which prides itself with being family focused, an environmental city, allow this gun show to continue? I think we have a moral obligation to decide whether we want to do that."

Asked if he had anything to say to event organisers, Mr Harvey said: "I hope they understand where I'm coming from.

"We're a peace city - we just put up a peace bell two months ago from our Japanese sister city. We've got a peace garden. I'm a Mayor for anti-nuclear weapons and I'm going to New York in two weeks' time to add to what [US President Barack] Obama is doing and so I just can't justify that to myself."

Mr Harvey is on the board of directors of Mayors for Peace 2020, a conference of 4300 mayors from around the world which aims to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Event organiser Tony Daw did not wish to discuss the matter last night.

"I know Bob Harvey personally, I'll have a chat with him," he said.

"It's nothing to to do with him whether it's held in Waitakere or not. It's not his prerogative."

He then hung up.

The show hit the headlines five years ago when Act leader Rodney Hide attended it and posed with a Vietnam War-era AK-47.

Mr Hide said at the time that he was happy to support legitimate gun owners, whom he felt were "under threat in New Zealand, by hysteria".

He could not be contacted for comment yesterday.