New Zealand to Ban Military-Style Semiautomatic Guns, Jacinda Ardern Says
Written by Lindah Nduwumwami on March 21, 2019
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday announced a national ban on all military-style semiautomatic weapons, all high-capacity ammunition magazines and all parts that allow weapons to be modified into the kinds of guns used to kill 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, last week.
“What we’re banning today are the things used in last Friday’s attack,” she said, adding: “It’s about all of us, it’s in the national interest and it’s about safety.”
Ms. Ardern is expected to encounter little resistance to the weapons ban in Parliament, where the largest opposition party supports the measures. She said she expected the new law to be in place by April 11, with the next session of Parliament.
Ms. Ardern said her goal was to eliminate from New Zealand the weapons that the killer used in Christchurch. She emphasized that it will require a mix of regulation around both firearms and ammunition.
