FBI Director Gifts 3D-Printed Pistols in Wellington

On July 31 in Wellington, FBI Director Kash Patel presented senior New Zealand security officials — Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, NZSIS director-general Andrew Hampton and GCSB director-general Andrew Clark — with display stands that included 3D‑printed replica pistols while opening the FBI’s first standalone office in New Zealand. Firearms regulators concluded the apparently inoperable plastic replicas could be modified to become operable under New Zealand law, which tightly restricts pistols and requires an additional permit, so the items were surrendered and destroyed. The spy agencies described the item as a “challenge coin display stand,” and the officials sought advice from the firearms regulator the day after receiving the gifts. It was unclear what import permissions Patel sought and the FBI declined to comment. The incident drew attention given New Zealand’s tightened gun laws after the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks and prompted mixed reactions, with some viewing the gesture as genuine and others calling the destruction an overreaction.