New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announces ban on certain types of guns

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced ban on all types of military-style semi-automatic weapons, high-capacity magazines and assault riffles.

She said, “Every semi-automatic weapon used in the terror attack on Friday will be banned… This legislation will be drafted and introduced in urgency.”

Two mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch were attacked on March 15 killing 49 worshipers. 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.

The prime minister hopes the law would be placed by April 11 and gun owners are being encouraged to surrender their weapons voluntarily.

Ardern added mosques attacks exposed weaknesses in the country’s gun laws and the new gun laws will make New Zealand safer.

She further said, “An amnesty will be put in place for weapons to be handed in, and the cabinet has directed officials to develop a buyback scheme,” she said, adding that details on the buyback would be announced “in due course.”

Pointing measures taken by Australian government after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre Ardern said it is a good example and there will be certain exemptions for farmers.