Smith NickHon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson): This firearms prohibition bill brought to the Parliament by Brett Hudson will make New Zealand safer. It will give the police the tools that they need to go after the high-risk areas of where firearms are in New Zealand and I am bitterly disappointed and underwhelmed that Labour is opposing this bill. I'm delighted—and I commend my colleague for securing the parliamentary support for its introduction.This bill highlights the key practical difference between National and Labour on firearms laws. What we have seen from the Government is broad-pan legislation that treats all firearms users as though they are criminals. It involves putting huge amounts of costs of restrictions and frankly of quite impractical measures on the tens of thousands of New Zealanders in a country that enjoys its outdoor recreation its hunting and its sports shooting but misses the target of actually going after those people that cause the intimidation the violence and the deaths from guns. My colleague Brett Hudson's bill provides very targeted prohibition orders on those people who we should prohibit from having firearms and goes further in actually giving the police the powers to go after those people and ensure that they don't have these dangerous weapons.Now I've heard members opposite continuously challenge the National Party—Where's your policy? Where's your positive alternative?"—and this is exactly what you have got with this bill. Quite frankly the contribution from Greg O'Connor for opposing this bill really does need scrutiny. Mr O'Connor said "Oh we're not going to support this bill because it's not a comprehensive response to the surging gang numbers in New Zealand. It doesn't deal with the issue of police resources. It doesn't deal with the issue of going after the money of gangs." Well neither do the Government's bills. So why would you oppose a bill that's a positive part of the solution when of course you should do those other things but that's no reason—no reason at all—to oppose this bill.Now I look at the detail of this legislation that provides for four groups of people to be able to have prohibition firearms orders issued. The first of those is people who have committed a serious violent offence—not accused; convicted in a court of law of a serious violence offence. Who in this Parliament believes people who in the last 10 years have committed such an offence should not be prohibited from holding a firearm? I look at the weak law and order parties like Labour and the Greens—only they would be foolish enough to say people who have convictions for serious violence offending should be able to have firearms. Then the bill specifically says if you're a gang member you shouldn't be able to have a firearm. I look at the surge in gang numbers up from 5000 to over 7000 in just three years of this Government. This Government is soft on hard crime soft on gangs and I am delighted to have a bill that prohibits that group of people who cause so much crime and so much harm. I equally include the provision that includes domestic violence. Those that have convictions for domestic violence they are actually some of those that are causing the most of the tragedies.So this is a well-targeted bill. It summarises so well National's approach to law and order and the views on firearms: focus the legal effort and the resources on those that cause the crime and we will make New Zealand a safer and better place—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson): The member's time has expired."