Mitchell Mark: Arms (Military Style Semi-automatic Firearms and Import Controls) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Mitchell Mark: Arms (Military Style Semi-automatic Firearms and Import Controls) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 22 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2291. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MARK MITCHELL (National—Rodney) 
: 
 I would just like to support the comments that were made by my colleague Kris Faafoi earlier who is also a member of the Law and Order Committee with me in congratulating the chair of the committee Jacqui Dean. I also congratulate the Minister the Hon Judith Collins and the Hon Anne Tolley on bringing this bill the Arms (Military Style Semi-automatic Firearms and Import Controls) Amendment Bill to the House. It is a very important bill and it is important because it is focused on the safety of the general public. This amendment bill is in line with National’s programme to build a safer New Zealand with a focus on staying tough on criminals and protecting the rights of victims.  
I would like to come back to Mr Richard Prosser’s speech in which he made some very good points and went into a lot of detail about firearms. But only a very small percentage of New Zealanders would ever be involved in that sort of detail or would ever understand that sort of detail. With many of these imitation firearms air rifles and air pistols in circulation now in New Zealand most members of the general public would never be able to tell the difference between a legitimate firearm and one that is an air rifle or an imitation. It is very very difficult to tell the difference between them.  
In terms of how dangerous they are let us not forget that it was very very sad to see the loss of Sergeant Don Wilkinson who in the performance of his duties was chased down by I think two offenders. He was shot with an air rifle and killed. The reality now with these high-powered air rifles is that they are able to deliver a fatal shot. They are able to kill people.  
That brings me to the tightening up of the import controls. I think it is so important that we have taken this positive step in terms of now giving the police a lot more control and oversight of who is responsible enough to import these types of weapons into the country. When an armed and dangerous offender walks into a bank carrying a military-style replica or PSP air rifle and shoves it in the face of a bank employee the psychological stress and harm is no less diminished than had it been a high-powered rifle. People do not know the difference; they cannot tell the difference. There is no upside. Mr Clendon made a very good point. Even in relation to an offender if an offender picks up a firearm even if it is a replica and walks into a bank he is probably asking for what he gets. However he is putting the police in a situation. When they confront him they have no choice but to treat that firearm as a proper high-powered weapon even if it is a replica or an air rifle.  
So it is with great pleasure that I am able to stand in support of this bill. I support the classification regime which will be very similar to that administered between 1992 and 2008 and which was generally understood and accepted by the firearms community. But this bill will add a lot more clarity around that legislation. So it is with great pleasure that I do stand in support of this bill. Thank you.