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Item of business :

Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and

Parts) Amendment Bill
Submission name :

Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand

Comments

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

I am submitting on behalf of the Islamic Women s Council of New Zealand. We were formed in
1989, and organise events and activities for Muslim women. We also have an advocacy role
through media and government engagement.

I would like to start by remembering those who lost their lives, those who were injured, and the
families directly affected. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon.

We don t want the tragic events of 15 March to be used to remove fundamental rights of New
Zealanders through draconian legislation. However, there are some areas which need change. The
Arms Amendment legislation is one, but there are many more.

Rights often compete against one another. The rights of some to own and use firearms need to be
weighed against the rights of everyone to be safe. We know that there are many law-abiding gun-
owners. The shooter in Christchurch was a law-abiding gun owner, until he wasn t.

There are those who are complaining that this is a rushed consultation. Actually, the work for this
piece of legislation was done in 2016, and there was full consultation then. Detailed expert advice
was sought and received. We have all the information we need. Action now needs to be swift and
decisive.

Those who make profits from sale of firearms can not be allowed to dominate this debate: they
have a vested interest, and we know from overseas experiences that interests like these have not
always put the lives and well-being of people first. Profits can not be made at the expense of the
lives of our people.

Guns are not like automobiles. Automobiles do not have the purpose and design of killing. That
is not what they are for, although people may have used them that way in other countries.
However, guns are designed to kill. That is their sole purpose. The worst kinds of guns are
designed to kill multiple times, rapidly, in a way that is very difficult to stop. These kinds of guns,
magazines and parts are not needed by the general public.

Had the Christchurch shooter not had a modified semi-automatic weapon, it would have been so
much easier to stop him. The loss of lives, the number of injured, would have been so much
lower.

We have a comprehensive registration system for vehicles, we need a similar comprehensive

registration process for guns. We track the movement of vehicles, so do we need to track the

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movement of guns. We understand that this Bill is the first step in amending gun laws, and we
expect that gun registration will form a part of the next step.

We have heard some say that law-abiding gun-owners should not be demonised. Well, the
Muslim community knows a lot about demonization, that is a fundamental part of our lived
experience. But even with the demonization and discrimination we endure, we support our
authorities in ensuring that NZ is safe from radicalisation.

We have engaged with SIS and Police. While we did not support intrusive and excessive spying
without a warrant, we support the State working to ensure our country remains safe from the
ramifications of radicalisation and extremism. There are young men in this country who were sent
to jail for sharing ISIS videos, and rightly so.

I m sure that gun-owners want our country to be safe. They want to ensure the tragedy in
Christchurch never happens again. Our community, our country, lost precious people. Our
organisation was directly affected, when our National Co-ordinator lost a son, and has an injured
husband.

There are so many Muslim women in Christchurch who will now have to raise families on their
own. Some of whom have English as a second language; some of whom don t have a driver s
license. There are children who lost a parent or a sibling, or both. Others who have lost a
grandparent. There is a little girl in critical condition, still fighting for her life.

The grieving will last for months and years to come. There are spaces in our mosques that for us,
will never be filled. One form of solace for us will be the removal of the weapons that can take so
many lives in so short a time. We commend the Government for their swift action on this matter,
and thank other parties who have supported this legislation. Such widespread support in
Parliament and throughout the country is certainly of comfort.

However, it is not enough. This is one measure, and an important one, but there is so much more
that needs to be done. The review of our hate speech laws is welcome, as is the review into
recording of hate crimes. The Royal Commission of Inquiry is welcome, but our organisation and
others must be consulted on the terms of reference, as well as the membership of the Commission.

We need a national strategy around inclusion and diversity, so that legislation and policy is co-
ordinated, coherent and has maximum impact. Those of us who have faced the brunt of hatred
must be a part of the decision-making and implementation process.

Recommendations

Please pass the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill in it's entirety.

In subsequent review of gun laws, please address:

- registration of all firearms in New Zealand

- restrictions on advertising for firearms, including public signage and storefront advertising

- mandatory minimum training requirements for firearms users

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