New Zealand bans assault weapons, high capacity magazines

[Cypress]

I have never heard a plausible explanation for why one would need a 30 round capacity magazine.

Short of a zombie apocalypse, I do not see a need for 30 round clips to defend your home and property. I'll take a 12 gauge shotgun for home defense.

Anyone who needs a 30 round clip to hunt deer must be a terrible, horrendous shot, and needs to spend time first practicing on the target shooting range.

I do admit that a 30 round clip seems tactically necessary for killing relentless hordes of zombies, or gunning down rooms full of school children.

New Zealand bans types of semi-automatic weapons, high capacity magazines after mass shooting

CHRISTCHURCH, March 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand will ban military style semi-automatic and assault rifles under tough new gun laws following the killing of 50 people in the country's worst mass shooting, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday.

Ardern said she expects the new laws to be in place by April 11 and buy-back scheme will be established for banned weapons.
"Now, six days after this attack, we are announcing a ban on all military style semi-automatics (MSSA) and assault rifles in New Zealand," Ardern said.

“Related parts used to convert these guns into MSSAs are also being banned, along with all high-capacity magazines."
A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic rifles including an AR-15, last Friday killed 50 people in two mosque attacks in Christchurch.

The AR-15 was used at Port Arthur and has been used in a number of high-profile U.S. mass shootings.

"On 15 March our history changed forever. Now, our laws will too. We are announcing action today on behalf of all New Zealanders to strengthen our gun laws and make our country a safer place," Ardern said.

“All semi-automatic weapons used during the terrorist attack on Friday 15 March will be banned."

Australia banned semi-automatic weapons and launched a gun buy-back after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 in which 35 people were gunned down.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...cid=spartandhp

[Nordberg]

So they are trying to solve a gun problem. That makes sense.

[Cypress]

So they are trying to solve a gun problem. That makes sense.

You know what amazes me? The lightening quick speed with which NZ addressed this, and changed their law to reflect common sense gun restrictions.

[Cypress]

You know what amazes me? The lightening quick speed with which NZ addressed this, and changed their law to reflect common sense gun restrictions.

Apparently it is because - even though NZ has a powerful gun lobby - the electoral system in the United States allows a small group of toothless hillbillies to have vastly disproportionate representation in our government.

New Zealand just banned military-style firearms. Here’s why the U.S. can’t.

When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced last Saturday that the country’s gun laws would change, less than 24 hours had passed since the right-wing terrorist attack that killed at least 50 in Christchurch. On Thursday, she confirmed that her government had banned military-style semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles and a buyback program was being set up. The changes were supported both by the coalition government and the center-right main opposition party.

To U.S. observers in particular, the almost immediate response might have appeared surprising for a country that shares more similarities in its approach to guns with the United States than with the rest of the Western world.

New Zealand's gun lobby mainly represents a core of rural supporters, whereas more than 86 percent of New Zealanders now live in urban areas and form a largely liberal majority. In the United States, the ratio of citizens living in urban areas is slightly lower. More importantly, however, the U.S. system of representation and the way congressional districts are drawn increase the significance of rural Republican voters disproportionately. That helps explain why the NRA can pressure politicians into following its demands, even though NRA supporters account for only a fraction of all U.S. voters.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.9e79d329fda0

[Cypress]

What leadership looks like.

USA 6 years after Sandy Hook:
Thoughts & prayers;

New Zealand 6 days after Christchurch:
Ban semi automatic assault weapons -
Buyback program -
Pay for all funerals -
Provide income for harmed -
Wear solidarity scarf -
AND Thoughts & prayers.


World reacts to New Zealand's new gun laws after Christchurch terror attacks

US Senator Bernie Sanders has applauded Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for announcing tougher gun laws in New Zealand.

"This is what real action to stop gun violence looks like," he posted on Twitter. "We must follow New Zealand's lead, take on the NRA and ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons in the United States."

Six days after 50 people were killed in the Christchurch terror attacks, Ardern announced a ban on military style semi-automatics and assault rifles.

She also announced immediate action to prevent stock-piling, and a buyback scheme that could cost anywhere between $100m and $200m.

US late night talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel simply said, "This is how you do it".

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/chr...terror-attacks