New Zealand gun law changes 2019: What is the buyback scheme? How many people will be affected by the weapon ban?

New Zealand’s parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of tighter gun control laws in response to the horrific attack on a mosque in Christchurch.

The country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced she was going to “ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles” just six days after a gunman opened fire on March 15, claiming the lives of 50 Muslims.

In a news conference in the days following the massacre, she revealed that the suspect Brenton Tarrant obtained a gun licence in November 2017 and owned five firearms in total.

She said: “While work is being done as to the chain of events that lead to both the holding of this gun licence and the possession of these weapons, I can tell you one thing right now. Our gun laws will change.”

New Zealand’s gun laws had previously meant that individuals over 16, or 18 for military-style automatic weapons, could own a gun legally if they passed a background check of criminal and medical records. Once a licence was obtained, gun-owners could buy as many weapons as they wanted.

The new gun laws come into effect on Friday April 12 – 28 days after the attack on the mosque in Christchurch.

Politicians on all sides of the political spectrum in New Zealand have backed the ban.

What does the law say now?

Police acting superintendent Mike McIlraith shows New Zealand lawmakers an AR-15 style rifle similar to one of the weapons a gunman used to slaughter 50 people at two mosques.
AP

Current owners of semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles will be required to return their guns to authorities via a buyback scheme by September 2019.

There are two exemptions to this rule:

  • If the weapon is used for pest-control on private and non-conservation land
  • If the weapon is a family heirloom or memento

If the latter is the case, then the owner will have to remove part of the gun to ensure it is inoperable and store the part in at an address other than their residency.

How will the buyback scheme work?

Thousands gather in vigil for New Zealand terror attack victims

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As part of the buyback scheme, gun-owners will receive what Mrs Ardern called a “fair and reasonable compensation” for surrendering their firearms.

Independent advisors will create a price list for the firearms buyback scheme, whilst a separate expert panel will be set up to determine fair compensation for firearms of high value.

Owners will only be able to seek compensation if the firearms were lawfully obtained and the person has an appropriate gun licence.

How many people will be affected?

Police estimated that there are 1.2 million legal firearms in New Zealand
Getty

In 2016, New Zealand Police estimated that there were 1.2 million legal firearms in the country. Of these, the government has said that a record of licenses show 13,500 firearms are military-style semi-automatics (MSSAs). But that number could be higher.

The Prime Minister has said that the gun buybacks would cost the government between NZ$100-200 million (£52-103 million) but other government ministers have warned that the costs could be higher depending on how many guns are surrendered to police.

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