ACT firing blanks again

"Today's ACT party announcement that they will allow shop-keepers to be armed is a sign that ACT is utterly desperate for survival and will make up policy on the hoof for political ends", says Labour candidate for Epsom Michael Wood.

"ACT clearly know nothing about New Zealand's arms code, or the seven basic rules of firearm ownership. I am a licensed firearm owner, so am happy to help them out. ACT do not seem to be aware that safe firearms practice under the Arms code requires owners to keep their weapons securely locked away, and that firearms should only ever be loaded when they are ready to be fired (basic rules three and six of the arms code)"

"It is completely unclear what ACT is proposing. In order to generate headlines they have suggested that corner shopkeepers should be able to keep a loaded firearm under the till. Are they really proposing to overhaul New Zealand's arms code to allow all people to keep loaded firearms at their side? Or is it an exemption for shop-keepers only? Is the rule requiring firearms to be securely stored also to be abolished? Have ACT thought about the consequences of any of this?"

"If ACT was a serious party they would have consulted with the police and the NZ Mountain Safety Council about such a radical and dangerous departure from our established firearm laws. Clearly they have not"

"Let's be clear, today's announcement from ACT is a cynical pitch to shop-keepers in Epsom, preying on their fear. ACT know that people have had enough of the shabby deal to prop them up in Epsom and they are now trying to desperately fire off ideas at random hoping that something will hit the mark. Instead, they have fired a blank"

"Epsom and New Zealand deserve better than ACT", says Michael Wood.

ENDS

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