Auchinvole Chris: Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeAuchinvole Chris: Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 25 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18913. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National):It is a pleasure and a privilege to stand and speak. I hope that some of the things that I say about the commencement date of this Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill will go some way to consoling the author of this bill Dr Cam Calder a known sensitive person.Tim Macindoe: He is.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: Oh indeed. He is extremely proud of having his own bill in the House and he is shattered by the callous comments from the other side that he was being repetitious and boring—oh how dreadful!Hon Member: And furry!CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: Well—adding to it. And those comments came from a lady whom we have always considered to be quite polite.When we look at this bill we have heard about how we did not wish to have conjecture over when it took effect because it is quite significant. We heard from my colleague on my right Mike Sabin with his police background talking about people stockpiling these sorts of things. This is what happens. On a serious note because this is a very serious business I cannot remember last week but—[Interruption] Let me rephrase that: I cannot remember in which part of last week I heard the news item that a farmer had had to endure a large number of sheep being shot on his property.Hon Michael Woodhouse: That was North Otago.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: North Otago. And how many sheep were shot on the first night?Hon Michael Woodhouse: About 110.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: About 110. Then he moved his flock of sheep into a safer paddock and the next night they shot another 80. The point about this is that it is vital that we have this bill commence fairly quickly because there are very odd people around. Well think of it none of the sheep were eaten and none of them were taken away; they were just shot. Some people are nuts. If you give weaponry of any sort to people they are going to use it.Remember this bill does not stop people owning these things; it stops them having possession in a public place without reasonable purpose. For those who think you cannot use lasers for that sort of thing I think there was an advertisement that might have been in the Sunday Star-Times last weekend where a company was advertising helicopter drones that fired pepper spray and used blinding lasers to blind demonstrators at meetings.Mike Sabin: Surely not.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: Yes surely not. But I mean we say let us do it seriously and this is a very serious thing. The 28 days though will achieve the purpose and it was carefully discussed by the committee.The immediate commencement could easily cause confusion. You have got these things. You are allowed to have them you can own them but you cannot have possession of them in a public place without due reason. That is the whole purpose of the bill. So by giving 28 days it is enough for the education to hit the papers to move around and for people who own these things to become familiar with what they should and should not be doing with them where they can take them and where they cannot take them. [Interruption] Do you have another point Mr Sabin?Mike Sabin: That’s the crux of the commencement date.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: It is the crux of the commencement date.This is a behaviour-changing bill and that is why it needs education for it. [Interruption] I hear chuckles—chuckles—from the other side of the Chamber. I have seen an All Black ready to take a goal kick who was lasered to put him off. This happens—this happens—and it happens fancy that in sport. I remember when we introduced this bill with all due respect to the serious-minded members on the other side that there was a certain “Oh come on. They’re only toys for cats to play with.” and that sort of thing. It ain’t. These lasers can be extremely dangerous articles—back to the furry edges again!