Minister for Courts and the Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms)Nicole McKee has reduced strict regulations on firearm clubs imposed by the previous Labour government but has been targeted by the media and a public law expert.
TV One news obtained documents and in May expressed concern about the “short time frame”.
Allegedly a regulatory impact statement showed the Ministry of Justice was unable to carry out any consultation with the public before it became law.
Professor Andrew Geddis according to TvOne News said the public had been shut out of the process.
He was quoted as saying “probably not the right way to make law.”
Back in May, Minister McKee announced the Government is consulting New Zealanders on a package of proposals for simple and effective regulation of shooting clubs and ranges.
“Clubs and ranges are not only important for people learning to operate firearms safely, to practice, and to compete, but they are also great community assets,” she said.
“However, law changes in 2020 changed the way that clubs and ranges are regulated, with all shooting clubs needing to be approved, and ranges needing to be certified, often at extensive cost.
“I am concerned these requirements went beyond what was needed to ensure public safety. The current regulations impact the people running clubs and ranges – many of whom are volunteers – and create a risk that they will close.
“This would have a negative impact on public safety. Club members run many of our ranges, and if a club closes there is no one to operate the range. This leaves no safe venue for the essential tasks of sighting in rifles and educating new licensed firearms owners on firearms safety.
Hmmmm, well if Minister McKee announced this back in May surely that was consulting with people?
Besides I recall PM Ardern pushing through law over Covid without having any select committee process and we know what damage, economically, socially and to the public’s “well-being” (Ardern’s term) that did.
There were other instances of hurried law by Ardern/Hipkins regime. Did the good professor and media object to those dictatorial moves? The prof. may have, but just wondering.
Nice to see the shoe on the other foot for a change! All these bleeding hearts MSM bods suddenly objecting to lack of public consultation, when JA pushed through so much during her disastrous time – including draconian gun laws that actually saw negative effects with masses of guns finding their way into criminal hands.
Nice one Nicole…
The changes Nicole McKee has made using the Order in Council procedure did not need “public consultation” since they only undid the pointless and onerous restrictions on clubs and ranges that the vile Ardern regime of liars introduced for no other reason than to punish the law abiding competition shooters and hunters of this country. There never was a problem with clubs and ranges which have always been a shining example of the good effects of self regulation. The wider changes which will be introduced in due course to undo the harm done by Ardern, with ample opportunity for public comment and consultation, will seek to return to that happy state of affairs.
Why is it that it is always those who know least about firearms and their safe use as part of our culture in this country so often have such strong opinions about why those of us who own and use firearms for sport, competition and hunting should be so inconvenienced in every way they can think of?
I think anyone who does not have a firearms licence (which proves we are “fit and proper” people to own and use guns) should have to prove to a far higher standard that they are a fit and proper person to own and drive a motor vehicle, they should also have to pay much more for their drivers licences. After all motor vehicles kill and injure many, many times more people every year than lawfully owned guns do.
I agree with earlier correspondents about the hypocrisy.
Here is TV One, government owned which got paid taxpayer money ($55 million slush fund for “journalism”) from the Labour government now smarting over the defeat of the Ardern-Hipkins Labour dictatorship and being so quick to snipe at the new government (admittedly not without faults) – and in this instance a very good MP and minister in Nicole McKee.
Labour’s strangling of rifle clubs and ranges was typical of hitting the lawful firearm owning public instead of getting stuck into gangs and criminals.
I note Minister McKee announced her intentions back in May – four months ago.
The changes made in 2019 were rushed through, and the ‘second amendment’ changes were not even accompanied by benefit-cost analysis, the reason given being a shortage of time, according to the Regulatory Impact Statement for that amendment.
The numerous amendments to the earlier amendments are a testament to the need to fix hasty, ill-considered legislation! Some of the measures enacted (or, in the case of secondary legislation, imposed by Order-in Council, namely government Caucus) are quite simply, unenforceable, other are ridiculous, and suggest vindictiveness towards shooting clubs, because they have been operating safely for decades.
Interestingly, ranges previously subject to police approval have a higher injury incidence than those operating without, suggesting that police approval induces injury incidents. (This is a ridiculous situation, but points to the police hardly influencing safety on ranges, or at least having no beneficial impact anyway!)
Incidence of injuries on ranges is less than one injury per year, for the past two decades at least.
Cunning propaganda from 1 “news” to promote their prejudice against owners of firearms.
These “officials” are our employees and Nicole is an elected representative of the people.
No mention of how people in the Labour government used orders in council to change the regulations when they had the authority.
One of their changes helped Tarrant get a license, guns and ammo he should not have had.
Support for the clubs is definitely beneficial for public safety. Anyone with experience as a firearms user understands this very well.
For years New Zealand licensed firearm users have enjoyed the sport of hunting and sports shooting without the undue draconian measures recently put on them by Ardern’s Labours coalition lead Govt, after the Ch-Ch massacre. None of this would never have happened if The NZ Police had followed due process when Tarrant applied for his firearms license. I firmly believe that those opposing Nicole McKee’s new change of the firearm’s act are following the UN Agenda article 21 disarming the nation citizens. Nicole is a well-disciplined range shooter and understands the firearms industry through and through with her years in the industry.
Wow! Wayne (Horse) Mackie’s exposure of UN agenda is an eye opener.
TV One “news”?
The correct name is Neo-Marxist, socialist, “woke” propaganda.
Tv One is no longer a source of reliable and unbiased information and that’s why the business is such a failure.
Not surprisingly, there is no mention of the use of such orders in council by people in the previous Neo-Marxist government to decree the changes to firearms regulations that enabled Tarrant to obtain a license, weapons and ammo.
There is no mention of how so many sensible submissions against the discriminatory changes to the legislation speedily imposed after Tarrant’s crime were TOTALLY IGNORED by Queen Jacinda and her cronies in their failure of a government.
Neither is it mentioned that these “authorities” in government agencies are our EMPLOYEES and not our elected representatives.
Should we allow these employees to decide what regulations we are governed by?
I hear so called “intellectuals” with academic credentials and self important journalists referring to themselves as THE CONSCIENCE OF THE PEOPLE.
These Omnipotent Moral Busybodies believe that they are superior to the rest of us and “divinely” entitled to decide what we should think, believe, say and do “for our own good”.
According to these zealots of the religion called WOKE, all of our western values, principles, beliefs, morals and ways of living are Patriarchal social constructs that perpetuate the oppression of victims by their evil “masters”.
All this corrupted virtue signaling is only a disguise for the desire for excessive authority, power and control over the rest of us.
That is the basis for their hatred of firearms and the law abiding citizens that responsibly possess and use them.
As a former members of the Labour party I frequently heard the phrase “those horrible gun people”.
What is “wrong” with these “horrible people” is that they value their freedom and equal human rights and also have the potential to be able to protect and defend them if the government is taken over by totalitarian dictators of the “left”.
The person that is promoting this “anti-gun” propaganda has probably never attended a gun club or shooting range to have any idea of what they are talking about,
Anyone with a clue knows that gun clubs and ranges are the safest and most well regulated places for people to learn and practice the safe use of firearms. They are also the best place for people to become more proficient and competent shooters.
There was no evidence to support the excessive regulations imposed on theses excellent and well managed facilities, where safety is always the main priority.
The hidden agenda had to be the desire to shut them down so that there would be no well managed, safe and controlled environments in which responsible people could enjoy their sport.
Where would people go shooting without access to these well managed facilities?
Obviously in more public places where there is more risk of someone being harmed.
Calling Nicole McKee a “gun lobbyist” is just another way of calling her a “horrible gun person”, to deny her knowledge, experience and excellent intentions to try to make the ownership and use of firearms more responsible and safe for everyone.
Nicole’s intentions are to try to reduce the illegal ownership and use of firearms and promote their responsible and safe ownership and use by legislation that is FAIR, REASONABLE, PRACTICAL and encourages people to be cooperative and compliant.
The haters of firearms and people that have them suffer from the delusion that prohibition and the criminalization of responsible citizens will make guns disappear.
These fools have no idea of the realities involved or of how many firearms are already illegally owned by criminals and also decent citizens that would prefer to comply with a sensible, fair and reasonable system.
All people that desire better firearms safety and the prevention of crimes involving guns ought to support Nicole and the best way to show that support is by becoming a member of the ACT party.
https://www.act.org.nz/join_member
If you disagree with some of ACT’s policies, membership (only $20.00 for 3 years) enables you to participate and vote in party elections as well as support those policies that you do agree with.
If you prefer another political party, become more actively involved and find out what’s really up with them instead of being manipulated by mainstream media propaganda.
Well done Nicole
The restrictions placed on ranges and clubs were so left field they were not funny.
Nothing Nicole has and will do will affect the safety of the public. Nicole is a safe haven of common sense
I applaud her efforts and know everything to follow will be just and extremely well examined before implementing changes