OPINION: Listening to the hysterical reportage of gun law reforms being pushed through by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee, your old mate wrongly asumed the Minister must be planning to hand out free AK-47s.
It turns out she has focused on easing the regulatory burden on gun clubs and licensed firearms owners, removing some reporting requirements for gun clubs, which had been introduced after the Christchurch terror attacks.
These requirements were intended to enhance oversight but had been criticised as adding unnecessary bureaucracy, without improving safety.
Statistics show that gun crime kept rising after then-Minister Stuart Nash's knee-jerk response to the terror attack, penalising responsible gun owners for no gain in safety.
Turns out the bad guys didn't feel like complying with Nashy's rushed set of laws.
McKee is shooting for a more reasonable middle-ground.