(File photo) Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
A gang member and another person have been arrested after an incident involving a home-made gun, police say.
Hamilton Senior Sergeant Aimee Whitley said about 2pm on Tuesday, police responded to Masters Avenue in Hamilton after a report of disorder involving a firearm.
Officers searched the area, and found the person they believed had the home-made gun.
"A small home-made pistol, capable of firing .22 calibre rounds, was located and seized, along with 203 grams of cannabis also located in the vehicle," Whitley said.
No-one was injured, she said, but officers arrested a 30-year-old Waikato man, who is due to appear at Hamilton District Court on 1 November, facing charges of unlawfully possessing a firearm and unlawfully possessing ammunition.
A 23-year-old Waikato man is also due to appear in Hamilton District Court, on 5 November, on a charge of possessing a cannabis plant.
Last week, an Otago man was jailed for 26 months for making six home-made firearms. It is thought to be the first case where someone has been jailed for in New Zealand for 3D printing weapons.
A 3D printed gun was also among weapons seized by police during an operation targeting gang activities in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and Auckland last week, along with drugs and $800,000 of assets police said were connected to the proceeds of crime.
Whitley said that in the latest incident in Hamilton, police were able to nab the home-made weapon due to a quick report by the person who called police.
"Home-made firearms have the potential to cause serious harm, not only to officers and the community but also to those using them," she said.