Hunter Girl, 13, Questions NZ PM Ardern Over AR-15 Rifle Ban
A13-year-old Waikato girl has sent a letter to the Prime Minister criticising the government’s decision to ban the rifles she used for sport shooting.
The gunman in the Christchurch attacks that left 51 people dead was armed with several firearms, including an AR-15, when he opened fire at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques on March 15.
This led to the government introducing a bill banning military style semi-automatics, magazines and parts that can be used to assemble prohibited firearms.
Maddy Millen-Turner says she competed in three gun and multi-gunning events under her father’s gun licence, with an AR-15 rifle purchased for her 13th birthday.
She said it was something she had always wanted to do.
“I’ve always wanted to do competitions with my dad with shooting and then on the Sika Show in Taup he got me my birthday present which was an AR-15 rifle,” she said.
She said the AR-15 rifle could be used for hunting or competition shooting.
“You can go hunting for like deer and stuff but, like, we don’t do it for trophies we do it to provide food for the family on the table ... also we could do three-gun shooting which is you have a shotgun, a pistol and you can use another type of rifle and I would have used that one - the AR-15 - with it.” She said the ban had made her angry.
“Frustration and annoyance and just very upset. Me and my dad, we went to Waihi and handed in both of our ARs and also some other guns and parts. It was very tough. I did have an outburst of tears and I couldn’t handle it. It was really bad.
“I was very angry and I wanted to let Jacinda know that because everyone was like, talking about it and saying ‘I’m very angry, I want Jacinda to know’, but I felt like no one really did anything about it ... so I decided to speak up on behalf of New Zealand shooters who thought the same way as me.”