New Zealand Parliament bans military-style semiautomatic weapons

New Zealand finally has banned most of the semiautomatic weapons. The law was passed in the Parliament on Wednesday by 119-1 votes and it covers illegal to own or use military-style semiautomatic weapons, like the AR-15.

The legislative change comes as a response to the Christchurch mosques attacks that killed fifty people.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, “I can recall very vividly the moment I knew that we would need to be here, doing what we are doing right now… I could not fathom how weapons that could cause such destruction and large-scale death could have been obtained legally in this country.”

Two mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch were attacked on March 15 killing 49 worshipers on the spot and one in hospital. The gunmen opened fire using rifles covered in white-supremacist graffiti.

One of the gunmen even livestreamed the massacre on social media. The video was immediately removed from all platforms following alert by New Zealand police.

City Mayor Lianne Dalziel said she was shocked beyond words by the two mosques attacks.

Eyewitnesses said multiple shots were fired inside the mosque and the gunmen were wearing a helmet, glasses and a military style jacket.

Following the attacks helicopters with armed police circled the area. Schools and shops closed their doors while buses and Uber cars were pulled off the streets. Security lockdown closed large parts of Christchurch.