Thread by @reedfleming

Soon MPs hearing submissions on the Arms Amendment Bill will hear from a convicted criminal who tried to illegally smuggle weapons out of the US & was in prison for almost 2 yrs. A NZ cop once described him as "one of worst people [I've] ever dealt with"

That man is David Tipple

Tipple, who will today defend the rights of "responsible gun owners", tried to leave LAX with 29 undeclared guns and 340 rounds of live ammunition. He was sent to a US prison.

This "responsible gun owner" was then charged, in a different state, with using a fake ID to purchase hundreds of weapons. In all, he spent 21 months in US in 16 different facilities.

But that wasn't the end of his criminal behaviour.

After returning to NZ he was clocked by Police driving at 177km/h, and the cop who apprehended him called for backup because Tipple, the country's no.1 gun dealer, was "so confrontational" and "one of worst people he's ever dealt with".

Tipple today will try to be a champion for "responsible gun owners", despite knowing (and talking openly) that he sold ammunition using our broken "mail order" system to Aramoana killer David Gray.

This is a "responsible gun owner" who demonstrates over and over a disrespect for authority and major problems with his temperament.

He is exactly the type of person who shouldn't be allowed guns.

Tipple will probably make a claim that he's sticking up for little gun dealerships and small businesses.

Tipple claims to be a millionaire. He claims to run the largest gun shop in the world.

He's not a small time dealer, he's a sophisticated operator with a litigious history. Just last year he threatened legal action against the government for stopping him from importing AR-15s.

In the wake of the Christchurch massacre Tipple's business has engaged a PR firm and has been running an online campaign to encourage men (and I mean just men) to submit against the Arms Amendment Bill and keep dangerous weapons in circulation.

And then there's this...

Tipple is a criminal. He has a trouble dealing with authority and a major temperament problem. He has made millions selling guns and fetishises the most dangerous weapons which Parliament are today trying to ban.

We know his intentions. His views should be totally ignored.

Angry? Do something.

Make your own submission in favour of the Arms Amendment Bill. You only have a few hours left to do so. parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-…

Addendum: David isn’t the only criminal in the family. His son, Timothy, was convicted in 2006 for careless use of a firearm.

Remember that they’re standing up as champions for “responsible gun owners”.