Having a say

New Zealand government at all levels offers many opportunities for ordinary New Zealanders to have their say. Cynics always say that no level of government actually listens, but the evidence is more that they do, though they may not necessarily do what citizens want. I’ve submitted many times before, but yesterday I did something I never have done before: I had my say on gun legislation. That was actually a very new experience.

The legislation being considered is the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill, which bans weapons like those used by the Christchurch terrorist. It also brings New Zealand gun law into greater alignment with Australian law.

The legislation passed its First Reading yesterday and now moves to the Select Committee stage, where submissions will be considered. The single lone MP for the neoconservative and “libertarian-ish” Act “Party” promised to stop the legislation, but he was so busy talking to the media about how he was going to stop the legislation’s progress that he missed his chance to stop the legislation’s progress. Doh!

To be clear, this legislation absolutely will pass Parliament, the antics of the foot-self-shooting lone MP notwithstanding. I imagine that there will also be submissions to Parliament from gun nuts, because they’re being egged on by both homegrown extremists and the USA’s NRA. So I felt it necessary to make a submission in favour of the legislation as a normal, rational New Zealander.

Of course that wasn’t the only reason.

In my native USA, no politician ever gave a damn what I thought about gun legislation. Ever. Not even the politicians I agreed with, and the politicians I opposed were paid off by the gun lobby, so they’d never ask for reasons to oppose their paymasters. But I also know that even if the US Congress ever asked what people thought, it would pay no attention to the result because gun advocates had already bought and paid for their votes. My opinion—my voice—was irrelevant.

So because I was being asked, I wanted to answer the call. Because no politician had ever cared about what I thought before, I wanted to tell them. Because I wanted to support the legislation, I needed to make a submission.

However, I have to admit a harsh truth: I had nothing in particular to say that hasn’t been said a million times before. So, I simply told Parliament that I strongly support the legislation (because I do), but I added that “I feel strongly that there is no legitimate reason for ordinary people to possess these weapons, which were weapons of war designed to kill human beings.” That, too is a sincerely held belief—but if I’d had more time I would have phrased it more elegantly.

I had other things to do, and not enough time to do any of them, including making a submission to Parliament. So I told them I back the law change, I gave them one reason why, and I told them, “It is past time for the New Zealand Parliament to pass this legislation, and the sooner it does so, the better for us all.” That, too, is a sincerely held belief.

I know I’ll be only one among many people who make submissions, and I also know that this time I’m on what will be the winning side. But no politician has ever cared about what I thought before, so I wanted to answer. It was a very new experience for me. I hope one day my fellow Americans will be able to do the same, but I’m not holding my breath.

After my Submission was complete.