One Te Puke Kiwifruit Orchardist Drove all the way to Te Awamutu tonight to stare National Party MPs Barbara Kuriger and Chris Bishop in the eye and tell them how the new Arms Act they helped enact has not only turned him into a criminal, but also had grievously impacted on his business. The changes affect his ability to deal with vermin, rabbits, possums, goats, deer and many other unwanted pests that attack his crop and dig holes that endanger his workers in the field.
The National Party plan to run a series of meetings around the country to discuss ongoing gun legislation. This meeting was held at the Te Awamutu RSA and was attended by a large mob of highly pissed off gun owners looking for blood!
I would estimate there were 200 people in attendance, filling the RSA main hall. The MPs admitted they were only expecting to use a much smaller space, and 90% of the people made it clear they felt utterly betrayed by the National Party’s shameful collusion with the Labour Party coalition to rob them of their gun rights.
From the very start, many made it clear they were not interested in hearing weasel excuses, and demanded the two MPs listen to the people.
More than one farmer stood up and repeated that they suffer same problems about pest control as the guy from Te Puke, and were outraged!
Not only was losing their semi-automatics a matter affecting the humane dispatching of pests, but it is expensive and impracticable to hire pest control experts. These experts were also represented at the meeting and bitter that they too are also heavily affected by the legislation and in danger of being shut down unless by some miracle the police find it in their hearts to grant them an exemption.
One pest control businessman warned that banning semi-automatics will result in a massive increase in pest numbers.
There were sports shooters and collectors who tore strips off these two National Party representatives for basically destroying the things they are passionate about. The people were not impressed with the weak excuses and outright dishonesty they received in response.
Both Kuriger and Bishop tried in vain to shift the blame onto Jacinda Ardern for how the rushed enactment of the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill was a farcical and contemptuous violation of due democratic process. They told lies that they had no way of either slowing down the juggernaut, or any power to alter the scope of the bill. All falsehoods and none of it believed by the people present.
The crowd was seething about the disgusting police raids that were afoot, with guns being pointed at children. After many people had expressed how incensed about how their sports, hunting and businesses were directly impacted, ex-New Zealand First candidate for Northcote Kym Koloni tore strips off them saying “Nobody gives a shit what policies you are going to take into the next election, we care what you are going to do about this right now!” She finished off by calling deputy Prime minister, Winston Peters, and his sidekick, Minister of Defense Ron Mark, traitors.
The public grilling lasted for over two hours.
One person quoted Jacinda Ardern pre-Christchurch Terror attack as having stated that “It would take a Port Arthur type event in New Zealand before heavier gun restrictions could be passed”. So Australian Brenton Tarrant provided her with the perfect opportunity to strike at New Zealanders' gun rights.
Chris Bishop was on the committee that was supposed to have read the 12,000 written submissions and herd the mere 20 people who were allowed to deliver oral submissions. He told the crowd that though he could not disclose the committee conversations, he said that some of the National Party committee members tried to get exemptions for sports shooters yet were "unable to sway Labour's Minister of Police Stuart Nash." Nobody present believed they tried very hard!
The two MPs tried to hide their personal complicity in voting for the bill by saying that as it was not a conscience vote and "they had little choice," but to vote as a bloc for what their party caucus deemed would be the party position on the bill. To which one of the people cried out that in doing so they betrayed their local constituencies who have voted for them to take care of their communities interest, not kowtowing to their own party interests!
Chris Bishop admitted the legislation has flaws, yet National still decided to vote for it despite this fact. The people called that a betrayal of their duty!
One guy stood up and said instead of banning all these guns and having to spend a billion dollars on the buy back scheme, why didn’t parliament instead legislate to shift these guns into the "E Category" which entails higher security gun safes and personal vetting? To which Chris Bishop admitted that was probably a much better approach, yet offered no reason why that obviously less severe and more fair option was not considered.
That is when I got the opportunity to stand up and explain the facts:
- These two MPs are not telling the truth as they were party to the shameful episode in the house in which Trevour Mallard and Chris Hipkins deviously took advantage of David Seymour's late arrival to agree to speeding up the enactment of this legislation. The whole national party had the opportunity to slow down this process by a simple "no" vote to Hipkin's petition to race this bill into law.
- The reason why the lesser path of moving these arms to E Cat, rather than the outright prohibition, was never considered because this was never about taking a rational approach as the Police had wanted to get these guns outlawed for years, way before the Christchurch attack. That was the point of this bill as far as what the Police wanted.
- That there is a safeguard of democracy that was being violated by the Police writing the legislation they also enforce! The principle of the Separation of Powers! That is why the farmers got no exemptions, why the Sports shooters got no exemptions, and why the collectors got no exemptions! The Police were only interested in getting what they wanted, and to hell with everyone's rights!
It did not matter that the people who are loosing their guns have committed no crimes. What mattered is that the Police got what they wanted, and Ardern got what she wanted. The National party were fully complicit in all of it!
Chris and Barbara said they were taking all this criticism on board and would report back to their party the views and feelings expressed tonight and would do their best to try and get some easement, including some exemptions for sports shooters, collectors, and for pest control when "round two" of gun legislation begins shortly.
They also mentioned round two may involve the possibility of a gun register, of a review of what defines "a fit and proper person", which is a frightening possibility that new amendments and definitions may allow the Police the discretion to deny firearms licences to anyone who expresses opinions or criticisms that neither the Police nor Government appreciate—under the pretext that contrary views entail evidence that a person is not fit.
We only need to contemplate the fact that during Kiwi Gun Blog founder Mike Loder's oral submission opposing the new arms amendments, Judith Colin's questioned if he was a fit and proper person to hold a gun licence.
More was said on both sides, yet what was clear to the people present was that National Party had sold them out.
I think its easy to infer the event was a bust for the National Party, who were sent home with their tails between their legs. They have been given notice of the depth of the people's contempt for what they have done.
One name however shone like a spotlight throughout the evening… ACT's David Seymour!
His name would have been spoken over a dozen times and how he carried himself with courage and principle though out this anti-gun craze while all the rest of parliament laughed in his face and showed utter disregard for sound principles of law and due process.
Howls of betrayal rang out at the mention of Winston Peters and Ron Mark.
Seymour was used as an exemplar: “Why did you two do not what David Seymour did?”
I think the ACT Party are looking to get a serious boost of support from the gun owning community of New Zealand.
The National Party may think twice about rolling out these meetings across the country now they have had a taste of the wrath of the people, who wont be fooled by lame excuses for their betrayal.
Another important thing this meeting taught me is that any well organised protest down at Wellington would be well attended. The gun community needs to rally!