National Party happy with gun laws, despite need for a few tweaks

The National Party is confident the Select Committee process has achieved the right outcome for firearms, despite the need for a few tweaks.

A fast-tracked report into gun reform has been released publicly.

National Party police spokesperson Chris Bishop says it was a process that showed how all parties can work together.

"[There's not] universal acceptance, but... you're not going to please everyone."

National, Labour, New Zealand First and the Green Party support the legislation, but the ACT Party does not.

ACT Party leader David Seymour was going to object to plans to fast track the process to change the law, but was too late after he got caught up talking to media.

Bishop said the National Party is reasonably happy with the process overall, but there are some changes he would like to see.

He wants to see exemptions for the sport shooting community.

"There's a variety of shooting competitions that use a variety of weapons.

"We'd like to see New Zealanders who could compete on the world stage overseas and often do very well actually will be allowed to compete in those sports."

He's also concerned about the gun buyback scheme and wants more clarity on how it will operate.

"There is a lot of concern around there about how it would work, what valuations will be put on weapons that people will have to give up and will dealers be covered?"

The Green Party suggested changes to the proposed law, around an exemption that would allow bona-fide firearms collectors to possess some weapons.

It said collectors' guns should be rendered "permanently inoperable" in accordance with a submission from the NZ Police Association.

The Government is changing gun laws in the wake of a massacre in Christchurch on Friday March 15.

Fifty people were killed when a gunman opened fire inside the Linwood Ave and Deans Ave mosques.

Since then the Government has drafted the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill, which would ban most semi-automatic weapons, high-capacity magazines and parts that can be used to modify guns.

Newshub.

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