strypey

I believe strongly in nonviolence and I support policies to reduce the amount of gun violence in Aotearoa. I have already signed at least one petition supporting the new New Zealand gun laws.

I have to ask though, are these campaigns also opposing the normalization of gun use by the NZ Police? We've seen in the US what happens when Police routinely patrol with easy access to guns. People who fear Police are more likely to carry guns to protect themselves, more likely to use them on the Police and each other, and Police are more likely to shoot them. Worst of all, unarmed, ordinary people going about their day are more likely to get caught in the crossfire and maimed, or killed.

I've been following the news from Aotearoa here in China, and I'm hearing that Police want easier access to the guns they routinely keep in their patrol cars - something I don't think ought to be allowed - and they want Armed Offenders Squad officers patrolling around with weapons on a daily basis. This also puts more guns into the community, in the hands of people who often handle them with less restraint than civilian gun owners, because they are less likely to be help properly accountable. Even when they kill people. As of 2015, NZ Police had shot and killed 29 people over the last 65 years, and probably injured many more.

As my Dad always says, "if you arm the cops, you arm the criminals". If we want to reduce the incentive for outlaws to arm themselves with guns, one of the best ways is to limit the ability of the Police to arm themselves with guns. The Armed Offenders Squad ought to be the only NZ Police unit that has access to guns, and they should only be out in public using them when there is an incident to respond to. Anything else is mission creep towards an anti-democratic paramilitary occupation.

Kia manawanui.