New Zealand honours mosque victims

Weapon-sales ban immediate: Ardern

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — In a day without precedent, people across New Zealand were planning to observe the Muslim call to prayer today as the nation reflected on the moment one week ago when 50 people were slaughtered at two mosques.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and thousands of others planned to congregate in leafy Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch to observe the call to prayer at 1:30 p.m.

Thousands more were planning to listen in on the radio or watch on television as the event was broadcast live. The prayer was to be followed by two minutes of silence.

The observance comes the day after the government announced a ban on “militarystyle” semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines like the weapons that were used in last Friday’s attacks.

At least 42 people died at the Al Noor mosque and at least seven others at the nearby Linwood mosque after a white supremacist gunned them down.

An immediate sales ban went into effect Thursday to prevent stockpiling, and new laws would be rushed through Parliament that would impose a complete ban on the weapons, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

“Every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned,” Ardern said.

The gun legislation is supported not only by Ardern’s liberal Labour Party but also the conservative opposition National Party, so it’s expected to pass into law. New Zealand does not have a constitutional right to bear arms.

There are nearly 250,000 licensed gun owners in New Zealand, which has a population of five million. Officials estimate there are 1.5 million guns in the country.

Ardern said people could hand over their prohibited guns under an amnesty while officials develop a formal buyback scheme, which could cost up to 200 million New Zealand dollars ($187 million Cdn).

The government said the police and military would be exempt. Access for international shooting competitions would also be considered.

The man charged in the mosque attacks had purchased his weapons legally using a standard firearms licence and enhanced their capacity by using 30-round magazines “done easily through a simple online purchase,” Ardern said.

Although the exact weapons used in the mosque attacks have not been announced, images posted by the gunman show at least one of them to be a semiautomatic rifle similar to an AR-15 that is widely available in New Zealand.

Ardern’s announcement came as authorities said all 50 bodies from the attacks have been formally identified.

A 28-year-old Australian white supremacist, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, was arrested by police who ran him off the road while he was believed to be on his way to a third target. He had livestreamed the attack on Facebook and said in his manifesto he planned to attack three mosques.

Tarrant, 28, is next scheduled to appear in court on April 5, and Police said investigations were continuing.

Police have said they are certain Tarrant was the only gunman but are investigating whether he had support. He has been charged with one count of murder and more charges are expected to follow.