Special Report
Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms) Nicole McKee has announced changes to improve the regulation of shooting clubs and ranges that Labour had imposed in 2020..
“The changes will strengthen public safety and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens that put many clubs and ranges at the risk of shutting down,” she said. Clubs and ranges play an important part in in ensuring public safety, As well as providing places for people to learn how to safely operate firearms, they act as the eyes and ears of the firearms community.”
Changes that the Labour government forced through in 2020 went far beyond what was necessary to ensure public safety and jeopardised the ability for clubs and ranges to provide a safe environment for New Zealanders to learn, practice and compete.
Cabinet has agreed to the package of reforms to amend Part 6 of the Arms Act 1983 which will enable simple and effective regulation of pistol and non-pistol shooting clubs and ranges.
Misinformation?
Nicole McKee said she expected reaction from the Labour Opposition.
“No doubt Ginny Andersen, Labour’s merchant of misinformation will kick up a fuss but the reality is she doesn’t understand the issues. After a series of recent slip-ups, she is desperate to appear relevant and has resorted to lies to do so,” she said. “When David Seymour stood up as the sole MP opposed to Labour’s rushed firearm changes (in 2019 following the Mosque shooting), Ginny Andersen was voting for laws that ended up making New Zealand less safe.”
Following the Labour government’s “rushed laws”, reports indicated that shootings from gangs increased said Tony Orman of the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations.
The changes by way of the Minister’s bill will be up for public consultation when the Bill goes to select committee for at least four months said Nicole McKee.
But on August 12, Labour’s Ginny Andersen accused Nicole McKee as Minister of “blocking the public from giving their views on proposed changes to it,” despite that the bill will automatically go before a select committee.
The Bill will maintain necessary regulatory requirements for pistol clubs and ranges but streamline annual reporting requirements, install a more effective enrolment system, require non-pistol clubs to be incorporated only if the sell ammunition and other improvements.
“In practice this means we’re taking a risk-based approach that recognises the significant public safety benefits of having well-functioning shooting clubs and ranges,” said Nicole McKee.
Nicole McKee – “changes by way of the
Minister’s bill will be up for public consultation
when the Bill goes to select committee for at
least four months.”
Common sense.
Ginny Anderson seems wide eyed and panicked whereas Nicole McKee is calm, cool and measured. No comparison.
When will Ginny Anderson realise Labour goofed it with the rushed law just after the terrible Mosque tragedy? It was born of paranoia rather than reality, was undemocratic, snubbing the select committee process and inevitably rushed, panicked law is poor law. Gangs were offering firearm owners higher prices than the government’s price.
Counter-productive.
Very impressed with Nicole McKee, calm cool collected and is well and truly onto it.