SpeechBRETT HUDSON (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. Today I sought to raise questions with the police Minister on behalf of law-abiding firearms owners across New Zealand. That isn't a throwaway term. Actually I'd like to pay some credit to the police officials and officers over both of the firearms bills—the one back in April of last year and the Arms Legislation Bill which is still progressing through Parliament. They were at great pains to tell us that the vast majority of firearms owners are law abiding. We're not talking as I said about a simple throwaway term. These are people who willingly comply with the laws that Parliament has made and may yet make that govern and regulate their recreation their sport and to many of them their way of life. They do so willingly—not always without question and not always without concern but these are people who know what it is to obey the law and to do the right thing. The police Minister on occasion has spoken words similarly but today gives me and I think the firearms community reason for great pause because I asked him about a report which comes from I believe a former member of police that there may have been or believed to have been discrepancies against the standard procedure in how the Christchurch terrorist's firearms application was handled. The Minister instead of addressing that with the seriousness it deserves sought to blame the firearms community for making up a story. Well that's deeply offensive to them and it should be deeply offensive to members in this House. This latest report is not the only one. A very well respected former member of police Joe Green—a very senior member of the unit that control firearms administration in the police he used to be; very very well respected across the firearms community—raised similar issues last year particularly as the Arms Legislation Bill was going through its submission process. Concerns like this deserve to be heard and treated with respect. Well I don't believe that's what the Minister showed today. He did at least reference that the royal commission of inquiry is looking into matters that should and we all believe do include how the shooter may have obtained that firearms licence. That's why I asked him if in his opinion it was important that they do that because if he truly believes it's important then the right action for him to be advocating and for the Government to be taking is to pause that Arms Legislation Bill which makes quite substantial changes to firearms licences for law-abiding people until the report from the royal commission is released which may well include findings which warrant amendment in that bill which is before Parliament to ensure that we get not only our vetting process but our entire licensing process and regime correct. Instead my view is that he was extremely dismissive. Now we're all strong enough in this House to take that. It's like water off a duck's back. But we stand here as—sorry Mr Speaker; it's no personal reflection. We stand here as representatives of New Zealanders and in this case the firearms community and they deserve to be heard and to have their concerns treated with more respect. Because what are they weathering still? A bill before the House that in their view and a view that I share is focused almost exclusively on more rules regulation and costs on those people that already follow the law and virtually nothing on genuine criminals and gangs.The police Minister tried last night to defend it saying—SPEAKER: Order! I've been quite lenient with the member but the member is anticipating a debate. It's a matter which was up today and if the normal procedures for the Order Papers occur will be up tomorrow and therefore one is not meant to be debating a bill which is currently otherwise being debated in the House as part of a further debate including this one. So I think the member can properly talk about the questions but not start arguing about the bill.BRETT HUDSON: Thank you Mr Speaker. I wasn't intending to talk about what might happen but rather to reflect on what was debated last night because there were positions put such as that it would keep guns out of the hands of criminals. It won't. Why? Because criminals don't have licences. They certainly don't have licences for the sorts of firearms they use. So we have the firearms community wanting to do the right thing who traditionally have done the right thing but who feel that the Government and particularly their old friends New Zealand First have simply abandoned them. They deserve to be treated with more respect—more respect in my view than the Minister showed today in question time.