Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Arms Bill a Legislative Colander

Arms Bill a Legislative Colander:
Must Be Rewritten

SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER 2019
The Arms Bill has been written so poorly than it must be abandoned and rewritten, according to the Council of Licenced Firearm Owners, COLFO.

“Whether you support tougher measures on firearms or not, this Bill is so badly drafted it is worse than what we have,” says COLFO spokesperson Nicole McKee.
She said the Bill was riven with holes and inconsistencies that would create injustice and confusion.

“Innocent people will be fined and jailed, and unable to hunt for food, control pests and enjoy their hobby” Nicole said.

She said the Select Committee had not given itself much time to deal with a cascade of corrections originating from poor drafting. In 2002 a Select Committee considering similarly poorly drafted legislation from the same source (the Police) had decided not to proceed with the legislation.
Examples of the problems include:

• Defining the firearm registration address as where the firearm is “kept” but in other clauses as the firearm’s “location”, turning the requirement for constant updating into a logistical nightmare including even a firearm’s location in bush while being used for hunting
• Failing to define the difference between “possession” of a firearm and its “temporary transfer”
• Requiring constant updating in the registry of a firearm’s “location” every time it changes – including when taken into the bush for hunting.
• Not defining ammunition at all, but declaring what-ever ammunition is to be too dangerous for non-firearm licence holders to have
• Defining anyone at a location where there is ammunition to be illegally “in possession” of the ammunition if a licensed firearm owner is not present
• Defining the person to attest to a licence owners mental health as a “health practitioner” which legally means anybody from a chiropractor to a podiatrist
• Requiring health practitioners to declare someone “unfit to use firearms” if they experience “significant” mental health issues – without any definition of either of those terms
• Removing firearms and denying licences to anyone charged with offences unrelated to guns, and even if they are subsequently found not guilty or the charges dropped
• No definition of what constitutes trading in firearms, so even a gun hobbyist may need a dealers licence if they earn profit from sales
COLFO's submission (draft only) is available on the Fair and Reasonable website: www.fairandreasonable.co.nz/colfo_submission
ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.