The Government appears to have made its decision on the direction of firearms changes, promising the public would be able to have their say but then hand-picking a list of groups to talk to instead.
"The ACT Party campaigned on getting rid of the firearms registry, now the Minister is blocking the public from giving their views on proposed changes to it,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said.
"If their changes go through, it’s likely Police will no longer hold the firearms registry, including the gun ownership information that comes with it. Given Police are normally the ones responding to firearms callouts, it is incredibly valuable for them to know if a gun’s been stolen or not.
"Despite recently telling The Guardian her upcoming consultation would hear from the ‘New Zealand public’ and ‘everyone’ – documents released under the official information act show Minister Nicole McKee has instead hand-picked a group of people to send a feedback form to.
"That’s not public consultation. It is certainly not hearing from ‘everyone.’ The majority of the groups the minister consulted with are from the firearm owners community.
"She’s not only using her hand-picked consultation list for the firearms registry, she’s also snuck through regulation changes that remove requirements for clubs and ranges to keep records of any guns or ammunition they sell.
"The Government has not announced these changes, and answers to recent written parliamentary questions show yet again the Minister has chosen who she wants feedback from.
"When groups like the Police Association do not make the Government’s list, you really do have to wonder who is running the show.
"I stand with the Police Association and directly appeal to Christopher Luxon to put a handbrake on these dangerous changes that will make our communities less safe.
"Given we are talking about guns, I am deeply concerned about the government breaking its promises to consult the public and choosing who gets to have a say on loosening the law. This is not being open, transparent, or serious about firearms safety in New Zealand,” Ginny Andersen said.
