New Zealand Announces Plans For Gun Reform Following Mosque Shootings
Just one day after the deadly attacks that claimed the lives of 49 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, the country's prime minister has declared that the government will be working toward gun law changes immediately.
"There were five guns used by the primary perpetrator," said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardernsaid at a news conference in Wellington. "There were two semi-automatic weapons and two shotguns. The offender was in possession of a gun license. I'm advised this was acquired in November of 2017. A lever-action firearm was also found."
She went on to add that the suspect, Brenton Tarrant, obtained a gun license in November 2017 and purchased the weapons used in his attacks legally in December of 2017.
"While work is being done as to the chain of events that lead to both the holding of this gun license and the possession of these weapons, I can tell you one thing right now. Our gun laws will change." Ardern said.
Previously at a vigil, the country's attorney general used language that suggested that the country would be working toward banning "semi-automatic" weapons altogehter, but in an interview with Radio NZ, he soon clarified his comments, backtracking the idea of banning all semi-automatics.
"We need to ban some semi-automatics, perhaps all of them," he clarified. "Those decisions have yet to be taken but the prime minister has signaled that we are going to look at that issue".