Nicole McKee
Spokesperson
Fair and Reasonable Campaign
Thank you to all of those who have used our email tool to tell Winston Peters and his colleagues to scrap the second round of firearms law changes, including the dangerous/insecure proposed firearms register.
In politics, the squeaky wheel gets the oil, and based on some fantastic media items resulting from our efforts last week, the pressure appears to be paying off:
- NZ Herald – Fierce lobbying expected as gun law changes hinge on NZ First
- Stuff – NZ First has ‘reservations’ about new laws
Parliament is not sitting this week – that means we have short window of time to show MPs why the Arms Legislation Bill should be scrapped.
Telling your story: help us show Wellington why this matters to you
Our most effective tool so far has been the real-life stories that we have provided to politicians.
For example, one of our kind supporters, Maureen Coleman, wrote this excellent piece on her Facebook page.
Another supporter, Phil Dunlop, shared his story in this video he put up on Facebook.
We would like to share your story with Government MPs via social media. To tell them how the law changes will affect you.
Would you be willing to film a short video (20 to 40 seconds) describing how the new laws affect you?
We can add the captions and do the editing — we just need your story.
Some tips for filming:
- Try not to irritate the mind you wish to persuade. Abusing politicians is not going to work to convince them to change their mind!
- Instead, tell them why they should not support the Bill and how it will affect you and your family. For example, what would banning pump actions mean for your firearms sports, or pest control? Are you worried about your safety if the new firearms register is passed?
- Focus on the proposed changes (potentially more bans, and the proposed register) rather than the past changes.
- Before you begin, test the equipment: record your subject speaking in the position they will be in and play it back to ensure it sounds and looks great
- Most important is ensuring your setting is interesting and relevant to you. For example, a cook would be videoed with their kitchen in the background. A truck driver could stand in front of their vehicle.
- You can video in either portrait or landscape.
- Ideal video length is between 20-45 seconds.
- Make sure there is no overriding background noise which makes it hard to hear the speaker (if you are outside, make sure there is no wind).
- Make sure there is enough space on either side of the subject’s head in the shot, so that the clip can be cropped if needed.
- If the subject is too small then don’t zoom in, move closer instead.
- Use your phone’s headphones/microphone if that improves the sound.
- Speak clearly but naturally, we’re interested in your authentic story, not talking points.
Your video file may be too large to email directly, so we suggest using the tool at www.wetransfer.com to send your video to team@fairandreasonable.co.nz. Alternatively, pop it up onto Facebook and tag COLFO in the post (make sure you post it “publicly” rather than just to friends, so we can share your post).
The power and persuasiveness of our campaign comes from stories like yours, not big budgets. A little bit of your time means we are in a much stronger position to tell politicians why they should vote against the Arms Legislation Bill.
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