NEW INFO ON GUN lAW CHANGES IN NEW ZEALAND:
Jacinda Ardern's daughter is 9 months old. "Her mum got her the gift of having a safer country to grow up in," says Clarke Gayford after ban on military-style semi-automatic rifles and assault rifles revealed.
www.stuff.co.nz
PM announces sweeping bans on military-style, semi-automatic guns and assault rifles in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings.
www.stuff.co.nz
PM oversaw recent changes which meant gun licence holders did not need to visit police stations when applying for assault rifles.
www.stuff.co.nz
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a ban on all military-style semi-automatic weapons and all assault rifles.
www.radionz.co.nz
New Zealand will ban military-style semi-automatic and assault rifles under toug...
www.reuters.com
Prime minister announces buyback and says parts that can be converted into semi-automatic weapons are also now banned. Follow it live
www.theguardian.com
New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern announces ban on assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and military-style semi-automatic rifles after mosque shootings.
www.usatoday.com
Effective immediately, military style semi-automatics and assault rifles will be banned in New Zealand under stronger new gun laws announced today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.
All high-capacity magazines will also be banned.
As will two types of firearms now defined as Military Style Semi-Automatics (MSSAs):
· A semi-automatic firearm capable of being used with a detachable magazine which holds more than five cartridges
· A semi-automatic shotgun capable of being used with a detachable magazine which holds more than five cartridges.
These changes came into force at 3pm 21/03/2019, via an "Order in Council".
That is to prevent a rush to stockpile banned soon-to-banned weapons.
A buy-back scheme will accompany the ban, and the details of that were still being worked out.
Police will work with the New Zealand Defence Force to enable safe storage, transport and destruction of MSSAs.
Police are establishing an online form which will make it easier for firearms owners to arrange for Police to collect the MSSAs.
The online form will go live over the weekend. It will not be practicable for firearms owners to physically return their weapons to Police stations without prior approval.
A warning from the Prime Minister: Do not show up to a police station unannounced, with your guns.
Expected a buy-back scheme could cost between $100 milion and $200 million.
This first lot of changes, will be brought fully into legislation under Urgency, which means a much shorter submission period and select committee process.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she expected the laws to be fully implemented by the end of the second sitting week, in the next block. (That was about three weeks away).
More changes are in the offing
Cabinet will consider further steps on 25 March. These will include measures to:
· Tighten firearms licensing and penalties
· Impose greater controls over a range of ammunition
· Address a number of other issues relevant to special interest groups such as international sports shooters and professional pest controllers, such as DoC.
· Future proof the Arms Act to ensure it is able to respond to developments in technology and society
The incoming Bill will include:
"narrow exemptions for legitimate business use, which would include professional pest control.
"Police and the Defence Force will also have exemptions. Issues like access for mainstream international sporting competitions are also being worked through,” Police Minister Stuart Nash said.
Gun register has not been announced, but it could be on the horizon - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would not rule out it being an item for further consideration, in the longer-term tranche of changes.
The Government has fallen short of banning all semi-automatic weapons, acknowledging that a number of low calibre semi-automatic weapons were vital in New Zealand's pest control efforts.
“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," said Police Minister Stuart Nash.
By way of background, both .22 calibre and those types of shotguns are lower calibre staples in most farmers' gun cabinets, and are widely used in smaller pest and game control, like Rabbits and Ducks.
If people fail to hand in their weapons the penalties currently is a $4,000 fine and or 3 years in prison. The new changes will increase these.
There will be an amnesty for the return of all banned weapons.
Don't forget, they are banned as of 3pm today.
But it's not yet illegal to own them. The Government will quickly seek details on how to administer a buy-back scheme and that will be in place for a limited, but reasonable, amount of time.
Only in that period of time, will it be possible to gain compensation for a gun that's surrendered to the police.
After that (yet to be announced) deadline, it will be illegal to still hold military style semi-automatics and assault weapons, and there will be no compensation for their seizure either.
While answering questions from the media, Jacinda Ardern says she feels confident that the vast majority of New Zealanders will support these changes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
