Seymour DavidDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of ACT in opposition to this Arms Legislation Bill. I sometimes reflect on what it means to be a New Zealander and I certainly did in the wake of our nation's tragedy in Christchurch when people of every creed religion and race people who have come from all over the world were united in their condemnation of the heinous act. It got me thinking: what is it that unites us? We have one thing in common as New Zealanders and it's the only thing: it's that we are children of pioneers that our ancestors chose and in some cases ourselves as New Zealanders chose to move to the edge of the map so our children could have a better tomorrow. If we wanted mediocrity we could've just stayed in my case in the UK or Hawaiki but my ancestors came here to do better for the best.That's the framework against which I assess this Government's response to our nation's tragedy in Christchurch on 15 March last year and how have they gone? Well when we assess a policy we might ask ourselves three questions: what is the intent of the policy what's it supposed to do? Number two is it effective at achieving that goal? And number three what are the side effects of that policy being implemented? The intention according to the Minister of Police is to stop bad people getting firearms and I think we might surmise that beneath that it is to keep New Zealanders safe. I would add that New Zealand needed something else in the wake of our nation's tragedy and that was unity to actually be united as a country against the terror that tried to divide us.How effective has this Government's response been at getting the guns off the bad people keeping New Zealanders safer and ensuring that New Zealand is a more united country? Well that would have been an intelligent and effective response but what we've got is a response that first of all has utterly failed to take the guns off the bad people. In fact in the previous legislation and the past legislation there are so many new restrictions and rules for people who follow the law and nothing for people who break the law. That is the greatest failure that it has targeted the wrong people: law-abiding New Zealanders who are as horrified by what happened in Christchurch as any other New Zealander.That's where the second failing of the Government's response comes about that it has actually chosen to scapegoat and blame and bedevil a group of law-abiding New Zealanders who've done nothing wrong as though they were somehow vicariously responsible for the greatest peacetime tragedy on New Zealand soil. That is shameful and it tells you something interesting about empathy because the Green Party stood here and said it was all about aroha. Well they didn't even show up to the Finance and Expenditure Committee when person after person—dozens hundreds of people—came before the select committee and said We've done nothing wrong. These rules for a variety of practical reasons will not be effective in making us safer and actually we feel victimised by the way we are being assaulted as law-abiding firearm owners and we find that divisive." It's an interesting thing empathy. I'm not a gun guy. I'm not a shooter but I get it—they're Kiwis they're humans like us. They feel victimised by the approach the Government has taken. Where is the empathy for them? It has been sadly lacking.Has the Government managed to get the guns away from the bad people? No. The buy-back that preceded this legislation was an enormous failure. Will the Government's regulations on clubs introduced in this legislation make New Zealand a safer place? No. What it's likely to do and we heard this on the select committee is that those clubs that are a place where people can monitor and keep an eye on each other are going to be less likely to keep going and more people will go bush or do their sighting and get their eye in by shooting some cans on the back of the farm. It's going to make New Zealand more dangerous by making it harder to run a voluntary club and it's going to make it less likely that people who are terrorists are going to be reported.I was at a pistol club a few months back and I put the question to the president: what do you actually do if someone comes along and you don't think they should have a firearm? They told me "Actually it's happened a couple of times. In one case we got the person deported." Now I would hope that actually that will continue but nothing that's been done in this legislation has helped the relationship between the licensed firearm community and the police. Those are the side effects of this legislation massive alienation of the very people that should be the eyes and ears of the police throughout our community those who are closest to people that have firearms.Then we look at the problems imposed on people who use firearms for sport. They pay a cost. People who are collectors people who have lost their property people that haven't been compensated—they'll pay a cost. But I would argue the impact on mental health is greatest. It's a sad thing that because of the rules under this bill that invade the relationship between a doctor and a patient in relation to mental health if a person has a firearm—and we were told this on the select committee—people will not seek help because they think they might lose their licence or be victimised if they talk to their doctor who will tell the police. That is the biggest own goal for this Government I can imagine.But wait maybe that's not the worst. The real nightmare out of this legislation is the register. I might add it's a political nightmare for New Zealand First who let's be clear despite all their promises of jam tomorrow and "We're sorry." are voting for a firearms register. That's the reality of the transaction here and people up and down Aotearoa New Zealand will know that Ron Mark whatever he says voted for a register. The problem with a register is not only is it ineffective—and we know that because half the illegal firearms confiscated by police have their serial numbers ground off anyway—a register is one Government leak away from being a steal-to-order list of every firearm in this country for the worst criminal elements in this country. How's that for an own goal when the Minister says his legislation is supposed to be keeping the guns out of the hands of the bad people? He's one leak away from giving bad people more guns than ever before. That's what happens when you don't ask the basic questions: what's the intention? How effective will it be? What are the unintended consequences of this policy?As I said my ancestors paddled and sailed to Aotearoa New Zealand in the hope of a better life for future generations and what they want from this Parliament is not mediocre lawmaking; they want the best. So what should we do? Well here's something obvious: we should wait for the royal commission to find out why the Christchurch tragedy really happened and how our laws actually need to change. Then we should bring everybody together around the table including as the chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee once said those ghastly gun people and actually have a proper conversation so we can again have the world's best firearm laws based on unity dignity and respect. That's something to hope for and that is the choice that many New Zealanders will be looking at in just a few months' time. Thank you Mr Speaker."