New Zealand prohibits the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatic | New Zealand attack

Christchurch, New Zealand – New Zealand has banned the sale of badault rifles and semi-automatic weapons after the worst attack ever recorded in the country, which killed 50 people in two mosques.

"Rest badured that this is only the beginning of the work we are going to do," Premier Jacinda Ardern said Thursday during a press conference.

"It's in the national interest and for security … to prevent a terrorist act from happening again in our country," she said about the # 39; ban.

Ardern said it expects the new law to come into force on April 11 and that buyback systems be put in place for banned weapons.

"Now, six days after this attack, we are announcing the ban on all military-style semi-automatic weapons (MSSA) and all rifles in New Zealand," Ardern said.

She added that the man arrested during the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch had bought his weapons legally and strengthened their ability by using 30-cartridge magazines "that are easy to do with a simple online purchase".

"The related parts used to convert these firearms into MSSA are also prohibited, as are all high-capacity magazines," she said.

"In short, all semi-automatic weapons used during Friday's terrorist attack will be banned in this country."

Ardern said the interim measures announced Thursday would stop a wave of purchases before the measures legislation comes into force next month.

She added that there would be limited exemptions for New Zealand farmers, many of whom who need guns for pest control and management of their livestock.

Suspect of white supremacy

The Ardern gesture comes six days after an armed man entered the Al Noor and Linwood mosques and killed 50 people during a blind shootout.

Police confirmed Thursday that the 50 victims of the attack had been identified by coroners, while funerals continued, with relatives collecting the bodies of their relatives from the authorities.

"I can say that a few minutes ago, the process of identifying the 50 victims was over and all relatives were informed," Police Commissioner Mike Bush said at a news conference. a press conference in Wellington.

"It's a benchmark for this process," he added.

Australian Brenton TarrantThe 28-year-old white supremacist residing in Dunedin, on the South Island of New Zealand, was charged with murder following Friday's attack.

He was placed in pre-trial detention without a plea and is scheduled to appear in court on April 5, when police announced that he was facing new charges.

The scale of the attack provoked a worldwide repulsion, especially for Tarrant's use of social media to spread the carnage in real time.

In a disjointed "manifesto," he said he was motivated in part by his desire to stir up religious clashes between Islam and the West by targeting "invaders."

Analysts welcomed the Prime Minister's decision to deal with the mbadacre, saying that despite the nation's bestowal following the incident, "thoughts and prayers do not make much difference".

"What we are seeing right now is not political populism, nor politicians who are taking advantage of a terrible situation, but who are shedding light on the political inertia of the past," he said. said Jarrod Gilbert, keynote speaker at the University of New Zealand Canterbury, told Al Jazeera.

Ardern had already referred to Australia's decision to amend its gun laws less than 12 days after the Port Arthur mbadacre in 1996, in which 35 people had been killed, in order to amend the neo-American laws. Zealand.

"Well thought out and late"

Previous governments have failed to implement the recommendations made by Justice Thomas Thorp in his review of New Zealand's gun control, approved by the government in 1997.

The Thorp review resulted in a call for all firearms to be registered individually with their owners, for stricter control procedures for those seeking to purchase weapons and a ban on semi-automatic military style.

"This is not a brain reflex, but these measures have been well thought out and have fallen behind," Gilbert said.

"Nobody says that New Zealanders can not have firearms … New Zealand is a country that needs guns, but no one needs to fire them." A military style semi-automatic weapon, "he added, citing the example of the farmers.

"We allow people to drive cars in New Zealand.We do not allow people to drive tanks, it is the equivalent … The time for these measures is not now, it's actually been a long time. "

After the announcement of Ardern, Police Commissioner Bush said an "amnesty" would be allowed to allow people to hand over illegal firearms to the police.

"For many people, you will now be in illegal possession of your firearm," Bush said in a statement.

Fish and Game NZ, the leading New Zealand fighter group, said on Wednesday that it would support the ban and buyback of semi-automatic military-style weapons as well as the restrictions on large-capacity magazines.