Military-style assault rifles will be banned
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a ban on military style, semi-automatic (MSSA) guns and assault rifles in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings.
All semi-automatic weapons used during the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned, she said. Related parts used to convert guns into MSSAs would also be banned, along with all highcapacity magazines. Cabinet had still to consider issues surrounding a gun register. Ardern also announced immediate action to prevent stockpiling, and a buy-back scheme that could cost up to $200 million. The
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
buy-back scheme was being established as an incentive for owners, who legally bought their guns, to return weapons and was being developed alongside the drafting of the new law.
There would be time for the handover of the banned guns to police and they would not be criminalised overnight, Ardern said. After a ‘‘reasonable time’’, those who continued to possess the guns would be breaking the law. The current fines were up to $4000 and/or three years in prison, but the new law would increase the penalties.
‘‘On March 15 our history changed forever. Now, our laws will too. We are announcing action today [Thursday] on behalf of all New Zealanders to strengthen our gun laws and make our country a safer place,’’ Ardern said.
Speaking yesterday in Wellington, she said changes to the laws after the Aramoana massacre in 1990, and subsequent additions in following years, did not go far enough. She reaffirmed that loopholes in the current law continued to
exist.
Legislation to give effect to the ban will be introduced under urgency when Parliament sits in the first week of April. A shortened select committee process, for feedback on the technical aspects of the changes, would apply, so she urged those who wished to submit, to start now.
She expected the amendments to the Arms Act to be in place by April 11. An amnesty will be put in place for weapons to be handed in. As an interim measure to ensure the trade of the weapons ceased at 3pm yesterday, the weapons had been re-categorised as requiring an E endorsement on a firearms licence, preventing their sale to people with A category licences.
‘‘This will mean that no-one will be able to buy these weapons without a permit to procure from the police. I can assure people there is no point in applying for such a permit.’’ Ardern believed most legitimate gun owners would understand the moves were in the national interest, and would take the changes in their
stride.
When Australia undertook similar reforms, their approach was to allow for exemptions for farmers upon application, including for pest control and animal welfare. New Zealand had taken similar action to identify the weapons legitimately required in those areas, and to preclude them, she said.
‘‘Be assured this is just the beginning of the work we need to do,’’ Ardern said.
Police Minister Stuart Nash said the bill would include narrow exemptions for legitimate business use, which would include professional pest control.
Police and the Defence Force will also have exemptions, and issues like access for mainstream international sporting competitions were also being worked through, Nash said.
‘‘We have also acknowledged that some guns serve legitimate purposes in our farming communities, and have therefore set out exemptions for 0.22 calibre rifles and shotguns commonly used for duck hunting. These will have limitations around their capacity.’’
While the legislation was being drafted, the Government was taking immediate action yesterday to restrict the potential stockpiling of these guns and to encourage people to continue to surrender their firearms.
Earlier yesterday afternoon, an Order in Council was signed by the governor-general to reclassify a wider range of semiautomatic weapons under the act. It came into effect at 3pm yesterday. ‘‘This interim measure will ensure that all of the weapons being banned under amendments to the Arms Act are now categorised as weapons requiring an E endorsement on a firearms licence. The effect of this is that it will prevent the sale of MSSAs and assault rifles to people with A category gun licences,’’ Nash said. There would be transitionary measures for gun owners to hand in their guns to police to hold until details of a buy-back were announced.
‘‘Again, we encourage gun owners to phone in to police ahead of time to advise them they are bringing their guns in to the station,’’ Nash said.
Cabinet agreed to overhaul the law on Monday, 72 hours after the massacre in Christchurch.
‘‘On March 15 our history changed forever. Now, our laws will too.’’
A rural Canterbury mosque believed to be the alleged Christchurch shooter’s third terror target had a lucky escape, its leader says.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush told media on Wednesday officers had identified where the gunman was headed after attacking the Deans Ave and Linwood mosques, but would not reveal the location.
The man was arrested 21 minutes after police received the first 111 call while driving on Brougham St.
In a manifesto published before the attack, the alleged gunman said his plans changed after visiting the mosques in Deans Ave and Linwood and seeing the Ashburton mosque in Mid Canterbury had been converted from a church. He said he was unsure if he would reach Ashburton.
Ashburton Muslim community president Mohamed Diab told Stuff yesterday he was notified Ashburton was a target about 2.30pm last Friday when about 20 people were inside the mosque. He immediately called the police who were already outside the mosque.
‘‘We couldn’t believe it, even when we heard about it, we couldn’t believe this happened. It was just shock.’’
Shortly after he received news the alleged gunman had been caught. The Muslim community in Ashburton felt ‘‘very lucky’’ police arrested the suspect before he got to Ashburton, he said.
However, many of the members were ‘‘still worried’’.
‘‘I have some friends that even though he’s been arrested they think he will come again, they’re worried he still has some other people with him.’’
Police say the alleged gunman committed the shooting at both mosques and he alone has been charged with murder.
Diab said he knew about 30 of the people killed in the attack, including Mohammed Imran Khan, who spent some time in Ashburton.
The Ashburton mosque was closed until Monday, he said.
Bush refused to say on Wednesday whether the gunman had travelled to Christchurch previously, or whether he had scoped out the mosques before attacking them.
‘‘Within 10 minutes, the Armed Offenders Squad were on the scene ready to respond,’’ Bush said.
‘‘Within 21 minutes, the person that is now in custody was arrested.’’
The total timeline of events last Friday, including the attacks that killed 50 people and wounded another 50, is believed to be about 40 minutes.
‘‘We couldn’t believe it, even when we heard about it, we couldn’t believe this happened. It was just shock.’’ Ashburton Muslim community president Mohamed Diab