Fresh questions have been raised about the conduct of the Firearms Minister after revelations she misled New Zealanders about her role in stopping gun reforms prior to the mosque shootings.
Despite previously claiming on TVNZ Q+A that she urged the Government to close the loopholes around high capacity magazines – it’s now been revealed that did not happen.
In fact, it was her suggestion to the then Minister Paula Bennett that she reject select committee recommendations around semi-automatic firearms, which would’ve closed the loopholes later exploited by the March 15 terrorist.
“It’s the latest in a list of concerns about conflicts of interest for the Minister, who is still closely linked to the gun lobby while trying to roll back legal safeguards put in place after the terror attacks,” Labour’s Police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said.
“This reporting is even more concerning as the next phase in the coronial inquiry into the terror attack gets underway this coming week. It will explicitly address the history of firearms reforms and make recommendations to stop such an attack happening again.
“The Firearms Minister also has authority over Coronial matters in her role as Courts Minister. The conflicts and questions are now too great for the public to have any confidence that she is the right person to be in charge of gun laws.
“The Prime Minister must strip her of the firearms portfolio. The Coalition Agreement never required her to hold that position and it would be a display of leadership if he took action,” Ginny Andersen said.
