The NZ First “handbrake” is working again. I wrote a few weeks ago that Stuart Nash was overly confident about getting his anti-shooter bill passed, and voila!, NZ First is holding it up:
The Labour party is struggling to get support to pass a new gun law as NZ First continues to dig its heels in.
The Arms Legislation Bill passed its second reading last month but NZ First MP Ron Mark signalled the party was moving away from supporting core aspects of the Bill, saying the caucus had some reservations.
While he would not go into detail, Mark told Stuff this week there was still “a lot of water to go under the bridge right now”.
The bill, which includes a firearms registry, harsher penalties, and a warning system to show if a person is a fit and proper person to hold a firearms licence, had been expected to come back to Parliament this week but has been bumped down the order list.
Poor little Stuart Nash. He arrogantly shoved this forward and now he is getting some beans. Nash needs to listen to the signals; he was warned but pressed on regardless.
It is unclear how long it may take but the bill is not expected to pass before the first anniversary of the Christchurch shooting on March 15, which had been the Government’s initial preference.
I did tell you all this would happen. Perhaps now you’ll listen a little more closely.
Mark said he was still having “constructive conversations’ with Police Minister Stuart Nash on the issues the party wanted to settle.
The party was looking for a pragmatic way through that protected the rights and privileges of legitimate firearms owners, he told the House last month.
One of those was resolving the question of whether or not police should continue to administer firearms law and a “strong argument” for the need for an arms authority that takes that statutory responsibility.
The Police cannot be trusted; they aren’t competent and have abused the trust of licenced firearms owners. It is no longer tenable for them to administer the Arms Act.
NZ First may choose to join the National Party and the ACT Party by putting up amendments to the Bill during the committee of the whole House. However, it may instead continue negotiations with Nash, who is putting up a Government amendment.
When asked what his preference was, Mark said it depended on the outcome of the conversation with Nash.
It comes as the gun lobby puts pressure on the party to renege on its commitment to pass the laws, telling supporters NZ First would be “toast” in the election if it supported the new gun law.
NZ First is the ONLY party that can influence the outcome of this law. If Nash doesn’t pull his head in, and there is no evidence that he will because of his subservient relationship with Police, then he will get embarrassed. His failure is likely to cost him his job. The friends he has in caucus won’t or can’t help him.
There are less than 15 sitting weeks left this year before the election. There is plenty more water to flow under Nash’s wobbly bridge. There is no way Jacinda Ardern is going to get her wish to have the legislation passed by March 15. That’s a fail for Stuart Nash. She won’t be pleased.
Meanwhile NZ First needs all the support they can get from gun owners so we can get sensible arms legislation.