New Zealand bans killing weapons following deadly massacre

Almost a week after a white nationalist gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 50 people, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country had banned military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles and has set up a buyback program. Both the coalition government and the center-right opposition party supported the move.

New Zealand imposed the ban on assault weapons, moving swiftly following the Christchurch massacre and triggering renewed calls from leading American politicians for gun controls in the United States, TOPNAIJA.NG can confirm.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons were now banned with immediate effect, making good on a pledge to the country of the military-style weapons used in last week’s slaughter of 50 people.

Ardern said she expects the law to go into effect on April 11. “Our history changed forever. Now, our laws will too,” she said.

New Zealand and the U.S. are among the only countries in the world that don’t have universal gun registration rules. Both also have powerful gun lobbies.

The killings at two Christchurch mosques by an Australian white supremacist have caused national soul-searching over New Zealand’s lax gun laws.

But the crackdown promises to have political repercussions beyond the country’s shores, including in the United States where gun control is one of the most divisive national political issues.

“In short, every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned in this country,” Ardern said.

She added that high-capacity magazines and devices similar to bump stocks — which allow users to fire weapons faster — will also be banned.

Proponents of gun control in the United States and around the world praised the move and denounced the powerful US pro-gun lobby on social media, while American gun supporters defended their constitutional right to bear arms.