Ball DarrochDARROCH BALL (NZ First): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's a pleasure to rise on behalf of New Zealand First in support of this the Arms Legislation Bill.I struggle to understand the two previous speakers from the National Party in their stance on this bill.Hon Chris Hipkins: Because they didn't say what it was.DARROCH BALL: No they haven't stated what it was but what I got out of that at the very least from Mr Hudson was that they weren't going to support this bill. They're not going to support this bill because the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding. The vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding and crims will be crims: they'll do what they are going to do with the guns and we can't do anything about it. That's the sentiment that the National Party has put up and the main reason they're giving for not supporting legislation that would bring in the likes of what this bill will be which is a gun register to ensure that—now here's the thing: this is what a gun register will do Mr Hudson. It will allow the police to do their job more effectively. It will allow the police to track weapons more effectively and they've said that.Now this is the umpteenth time in the House this year that I've had to stand up and be surprised that the National Party is going against what the police want what the police are asking for. Mr Hudson also stood up and gave the example of the terrorists down in Christchurch and how he was law-abiding.Brett Hudson: No he wasn't.DARROCH BALL: Oh yes he was.Brett Hudson: He wasn't.DARROCH BALL: Oh yes he was. And then the example of why he may not have been law-abiding because he put a butt on or something; he changed—Hon Stuart Nash: The only time he broke the law was when he put the mag in that gun.DARROCH BALL: When he put the magazine in the gun 30 seconds before he mowed—you know the terrible situation where he killed those 51 people: that was the only time that he did not follow the law. So the excuse from the National Party is that they're not going to support this because this affects the law-abiding gun owners when with the very example he had he contradicted himself. That's where the National Party is putting their hands up and saying—and actually unfortunately I think they're politicising it. They're not going to support this piece of legislation just because—because they're contradicting themselves. Even when Mr Mitchell stood up he had no clear view and to be fair he wasn't even speaking on the bill.But here's the thing that New Zealand First is going to do. We're going to support this bill through to select committee and it's vitally important that we see this full process through because this legislation and this issue of gun crime affects everybody in this country. That's the key. The issue of gun crime which is what this legislation is trying to tackle—not law-abiding gun owners; it's gun crime and that affects everybody in this country and it's vitally important that we give the people who this affects the right and the opportunity to come in through the select committee and have their point of view heard and listened to. And New Zealand First will listen to those people who this legislation will affect; we will hear and listen to the common-sense the sane the rational the reasoned points of view given for this piece of legislation—the multifaceted aspects of which are trying to tackle the gun issue.But what's confusing to me is that the National Party don't want that to happen. They're voting against this piece of legislation when they stand up and say they know there's a terrible occurrence that's happened in Christchurch but they don't want to do anything about it. What's worse is Mr Hudson stood up and he said he's got 13 changes he wants to make to this legislation. He's got 13 changes he wants to make in this legislation but he doesn't want to see it through to select committee. Now where's the irony in that?Unfortunately that's the message that we're getting from the National Party—well it's the mixed message where they understand that something terrible has happened in this country and that there is an issue that is decades old as has been mentioned in question time today—that is decades old that spans multiple Governments. But they don't want to do anything about it when we've got some legislation on the Table of this House that we're debating where we want to hear from the gun owners from the lobby groups from the gun clubs from the Deerhunters Association from the police from the people who are victims of gun crime. The National Party don't want to hear them.I want to point out there's a couple of stats that have been mentioned already. This is about the why—why we need to do it. Between 1 January 2015 and the end of December 2018 there were almost 14000 firearms-related offences that were committed. There were 71 firearms-related homicides committed and 901 assaults. Every month as the police Minister mentioned already the police are called out to 200 crimes where firearms are involved and one in five front-line officers is confronted with a firearm—that's every month. And every year between 800 and a thousand firearms are reported stolen. They disappear on to the black market and many into the hands of the gangs. That's what the National Party need to realise: one of the purposes and main intents of the register is that it will allow the police to better monitor where the firearms are and obviously who owns the firearms and if any are stolen they can track it. They will be able to clearly give the police a better ability of understanding how many firearms there are who has them and where they are stored and especially and most importantly where they are stolen and sold illegally. New Zealand First will be supporting this bill through to select committee because it's the right thing to do. The changes that occurred for this country in March of this year have dictated for us the need for a change in the gun laws of this country. New Zealand First will be seeing it through to select committee and we'll be hearing from those that this gun law affects. We'll be listening very carefully to those organisations and those people that this legislation affects.I think that the National Party need to re-evaluate their commitment to changing the laws in this country not only for the betterment of those gun lobbyists and the gun clubs and law-abiding gun owners but also the people that the gun laws affect and the gun crime affects which is everybody in this country. New Zealand First supports this Government in moving this legislation through and we're looking forward to the process of it through this House. Thank you Madam Speaker.