The support of Government members on the Law and Order select committee for the report on the Arms Amendment Bill is a slap in the face for Police Minister George Hawkins, National's Corrections spokesperson Brian Neeson said today.

The select committee report was presented to Parliament today. In August last year National members on the committee announced that they had withdrawn their support for the bill.

"After hearing public submissions, Opposition members on the select committee felt that the bill wouldn't bring about safer gun laws as was intended. We believe that the bill should be discarded and the approach outlined in the committee's report should be adhered to by the Government.

"The Government should follow the committee's advice and consult widely to produce a well thought out proposition for firearms control that will actually work and deliver better safety controls.

"National is concerned about safety, security and fairness in our firearms laws and we remain committed to working constructively with groups to develop legislation that will achieve this," Mr Neeson said.

Ends

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>