WELLINGTON, Dec 21, 2019 (BSS/XINHUA) – The six-month firearms buyback and
amnesty was officially over with around 60,907 prohibited firearms removed
from circulation, said New Zealand Minister of Police Stuart Nash on
Saturday.
The objective of gun buyback and amnesty was to make New Zealand a safer
place. Assault rifles, high-capacity firearms and military style semi-
automatics used in the Christchurch terror attack on March 15 were the focus
in the gun buyback scheme, said Nash in a media release.
Government figure showed that around 60,907 prohibited firearms had been
removed from circulation or were pending collection. More than 194,245
prohibited parts had been handed in, including items like high-capacity
magazines and pistol grips which can be assembled into working firearms.
32,000 people had taken part in the buyback, with almost 100 million New
Zealand dollars (66 million U.S. dollars) paid by the government in
compensation.
“Gun register and tighter licensing system will be the next step for New
Zealand government to control firearms,” Nash said.
However, the efforts to remove unlawful firearms from circulation are to
be continued as it is estimated by local firearms owners’ council that
100,000 unlawful guns are not handed back.
“Police are now preparing to follow up firearms licence holders who are
known to still hold prohibited guns. My strong advice to these people is to
voluntarily surrender them or face risk of prosecution, loss of licence and
firearms, and five years jail,” Nash said.