Bishop ChrisCHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South): Thank you very much Mr Chair. The National Party supports this bill and we've been working constructively with the Government as we worked our way through the very quick select committee process. We also support the Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) that's been lodged in the Minister's name two or three hours ago—SOP 201. Due to the exigency of the select committee process the Finance and Expenditure Committee was not able to actually recommend any potential changes as would normally happen through the committee process so the SOP largely implements those changes. I want to speak to the SOP in my name that hasn't been ruled out of order which is Supplementary Order Paper 203 around people who are bona fide competitors in target-shooting sports governed by legitimate international sporting bodies. While we generally agree that it's important to reduce the number of semi-automatic weapons in circulation in New Zealand we on this side of the House do have some sympathy for people who are members of shooting organisations and shooting clubs who will be negatively affected by this who compete in international target shooting competitions. We believe that there is scope in the bill to make sure that a very small number of people can continue to participate in the sport that in many cases is their great love and great passion. We draw the committee's attention to the regime in the Arms Act that already exists around pistol clubs who have very strict regulations placed on them. Essentially what this SOP tries to do is to replicate the same sort of regime for semi-automatics and for rifle-shooting competitions as for pistol clubs. We believe that it's something that can be done. The Government has signalled that it is something that could be looked at as part of phase two of the reforms to our firearms regime. But if it is indeed the case that we through phase two provide an exemption for international sporting shooters we'll be in the slightly strange situation where those who do legitimately compete internationally will have to give up their weapons as part of the amnesty and the buy-back over the next few months because those weapons will be illegal upon passage of this bill.Once it comes into force and receives the Royal assent possession of those weapons will be illegal. They'll have to give them up through the buy-back and receive compensation. Then if it so happens that down the line post-June once the Government's introduced its bill maybe in the first part of potentially next year when the bill passes—if it does pass then those sports may be essentially legal again and those people will have to go out and buy the guns all over again. So it's going to be a slightly strange situation and I think frankly pretty ridiculous that people will have to give up their weapons receive compensation receive a chunk of money feel pretty bad about life generally as they're not able to participate in their chosen sport for six to nine months and then if it is essentially legalised again they'll have to go out and get all the weapons again and they'll be allowed to compete. We can short-circuit all that basically which I think everyone would agree is a pretty silly process. We can short-circuit all that by essentially moving the changes that might be done in phase two into phase one which is this bill. Frankly we're a bit disappointed on this side of the House that the Government didn't see fit to include an exemption for sporting shooters in the bill that's before us and that's why we're putting forward the SOP. Frankly the argument that they don't compete in the Olympics or in the Commonwealth Games is you know true as far as it goes but it doesn't really address anything. It's just literally a statement of fact. It doesn't deal with the fact that there are other sporting competitions—three-gun shooting competitions for example—that are done internationally and that New Zealand competes very well at actually. It's something that New Zealand's very good at and there are lots of people around the country who receive enjoyment from doing that. Frankly we think that if you can construct a regime around pistol shooting that is highly regulated and highly safe and that allows for international competitions—and actually that the officials accepted during the select committee consideration; it worked very well and that was what they told us—then I think—[Bell rung] Mr Chair. CHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): Chris Bishop. CHRIS BISHOP: Thanks Mr Chair. I'll just finish off my remarks. If you can do it for pistol shooting then we think it's not beyond the competence and not beyond the wit of Parliament in order to do it for rifle shooting as well and for semi-automatic weapons. It is true that the majority of shooting competitions don't involve semi-automatic weapons. That is indeed true. It is true that they are not international Olympic sports. Those are other types of weapons. But it is also true that there are lots of people around New Zealand who enjoy these sports and participate in them and frankly they are feeling pretty hurt about life. They quite rightly make the point—Alastair Scott: Law-abiding. CHRIS BISHOP: Exactly right Mr Scott. They're law-abiding citizens. To the best of my knowledge there has never been a single death from a firearm on a shooting range in New Zealand ever. That's where these guns are used under very very strict conditions and that's exactly what we're trying to replicate in the regime. So we fully accept on this side of the House the need to reduce the number of semi-automatics and military-styles in circulation but there's an exemption regime already in the bill. The headlines have been This is a ban on military-style semi-automatics and other semi-automatics" and that's true so far as it goes except there's an exemption regime. There's an exemption regime for the Department of Conservation to use semi-automatics when controlling pests. There's an exemption regime which we're now introducing through the Minister's SOP as recommended by the committee for commercial use for farmers. It's not a general exemption for farmers. You can't just rock up and use a military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) on any old plot of land. You've got to get a commercial user to do it for you and we had a bit of a debate in the committee about whether or not Federated Farmers' submissions would be accepted. So we've got an exemption regime for that. There's an exemption regime for mementos and for heirlooms and for historical artefacts. There's an exemption regime for museums and theatrical performances and things like that—all perfectly legitimate safe and good reasons to allow very limited use of MSSAs and semi-automatics. We just make the point on this side of the House that we think if you can design an exemption regime for all of those things you can do one as well for international sporting shooters. So we put forward that SOP and we implore the committee to give that due consideration. Thank you Mr Chair."