Stuff reports:

Police Minister Stuart Nash says there could be fewer guns in the country than experts have calculated.

His comments come as police data shows they could struggle to collect even the lowest estimate of banned guns, under a gun amnesty and buyback scheme, which ends on December 20.

An April ministerial briefing paper revealed that police estimated between 60,000 and 240,000 firearms would be made illegal under gun law reform and in September police suggested that number was between 56,000 and 173,000.

But police have not set any specific operational targets for the gun buyback scheme.



Official figures show that between July 13 and October 29 about 32,659 firearms were collected and more than $62 million had been paid out so far.