Patel, known as the least capable FBI Director in American history, handed out plastic 3D-printed replica guns to New Zealand police and intelligence leaders. Although the guns couldn’t be used, they were still illegal under New Zealand law and had to be destroyed.
He gave at least three of the replica guns to security officials in July, including New Zealand’s Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, Andrew Hampton, head of the intelligence agency NZSIS, and Andrew Clark, head of the intelligence agency GCSB.
This embarrassing mistake was made worse because Patel is the highest-ranking Trump official to visit New Zealand so far.
He was there to open the FBI’s first independent office in the country. It’s hard not to wonder if they’re already regretting it. The U.S. isn’t exactly showing its best side here.
Unlike the U.S., which has very loose gun laws, New Zealand strictly controls pistol ownership and requires more than just a basic license to own a gun.
Even if the officials who got the replicas from Patel had the proper permits, they aren’t allowed to accept gifts.
New Zealand treats guns that can be made to work as if they already can.
Regulators concluded that Patel’s gifts could be modified to fire, so they had to be destroyed.
“‘To follow firearms laws, I told the police to keep and destroy them,’” said Chambers.
This situation is even more upsetting when you consider New Zealand’s history with firearms.
After the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, where a white supremacist killed 51 Muslims using legal semiautomatic weapons, the country strengthened its common sense gun laws.
With this diplomatic blunder, his blatant use of the FBI for political purposes, and his ongoing involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein cover-up, it’s clear Patel should step down as FBI Director immediately.
He should resign in shame right away.
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