2aguy
Diamond Member
- Jul 19, 2014
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Well.........it seems that sometimes elections do matter....and getting your clock cleaned in an election can even wake up brain dead leftists...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith recently announced that violent crime has increased 33 percent over the past five years, primarily because of gang violence, and lawmakers are now ready to revisit the country's gun laws with an eye towards restoring the ability to own modern sporting rifles... for at least some residents.
While the crime increase might be the primary motivation for revising the nation's gun laws, the ability to do so comes after the ruling Labour Party suffered huge defeats in elections held last October; going from 65 seats in the 122-member Parliament to just 31. A coalition government formed by the other two major political parties is hoping to chart a new course on crime and public safety by going after actual criminals, while completely rewriting the country's Arms Act for the first time in more than 40 years.
bearingarms.com
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith recently announced that violent crime has increased 33 percent over the past five years, primarily because of gang violence, and lawmakers are now ready to revisit the country's gun laws with an eye towards restoring the ability to own modern sporting rifles... for at least some residents.
While the crime increase might be the primary motivation for revising the nation's gun laws, the ability to do so comes after the ruling Labour Party suffered huge defeats in elections held last October; going from 65 seats in the 122-member Parliament to just 31. A coalition government formed by the other two major political parties is hoping to chart a new course on crime and public safety by going after actual criminals, while completely rewriting the country's Arms Act for the first time in more than 40 years.
Now, that might seem like an incredibly modest step, but consider that New Zealand's constitution doesn't treat gun ownership as a right. Instead, it's a privilege to be exercised solely at the discretion of the government. It's a big deal for the government to scrap its outright ban and allow for competitive shooters to once again own and use semi-automatic rifles, especially just five years after the ban and "buyback" took place. Most important, perhaps, is the change in attitude that's come with the change in the country's leadership."It means starting from scratch," Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee told RNZ.
"There's nothing set in stone as we advance this process. The reason why the 1983 Act lasted so long is because there was genuine and good consultation."
The Arms Act 1983 has been home to New Zealand's gun laws for the past four decades and has had many iterations.
McKee said she wanted to change the current licensing system to a graduated system to "enhance public safety".
"Ensuring licensed firearms owners are fit and proper through a graduated system of licensing where people earn trust over time, and a licensing agency carrying out a range of checks, is the sensible way of ensuring public safety."
Also on the table is allowing competitive shooters to use semi-automatics for sport. The only current exemptions are pest control and (disabled) collector's items.

New Zealand Lawmakers Have Second Thoughts About Semi-Auto Ban
