New Zealanders hand in 50,000 guns after assault weapon ban

Officials say the country is safer than it was before a lone gunman in March killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques, instigating the ban

But critics say the process was flawed and many owners illegally stashed their firearms because they had ‘lost faith’ in the government

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Police acting superintendent Mike McIlraith shows New Zealand lawmakers an assault rifle similar to one of the weapons used by the gunman in the Christchurch massacre. Photo: AP

Published: 3:56pm, 21 Dec 2019Updated: 10:06pm, 21 Dec 2019

New Zealand authorities said on Saturday their country will be a safer place after owners handed in more than 50,000 guns during a buy-back programme following a ban on assault weapons. But critics say the process was flawed and many owners have illegally stashed their firearms.

The government banned the most lethal types of semi-automatic weapons less than a month after a lone gunman in March killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques. The police then launched a six-month programme to buy the newly banned weapons from owners.

The buy-back ended at midnight on Friday, with gun collection events staying open late as police reported a surge in last-minute returns.

Provisional figures indicate 33,000 people handed in 51,000 guns, and another 5,000 guns as part of a parallel amnesty in which owners could hand over any type of firearm without any questions being asked but without getting compensated.

Owners also modified another 2,700 guns to make them legally compliant, while police said they had seized a further 1,800 guns from gangs since March. And police said they’re in the process of collecting another 1,600 guns from gun dealers.

New Zealand’s Police Minister Stuart Nash. Photo: New Zealand Herald

Police Minister Stuart Nash told reporters Saturday that criminals would find it harder to get their hands on assault weapons because they tended to steal them from lawful owners, but those weapons would now be out of circulation.