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

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By NICK PERRY

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand authorities said Saturday their country will be a safer place after owners handed in more than 50,000 guns during a buyback program 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 program to buy the newly banned weapons from owners.

The buyback ended midnight Friday, with gun collection events staying open late as police reported in 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.



FILE - In this April 2, 2019, file photo, 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 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques, in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand authorities said Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, their country will be a safer place after gun owners handed in more than 50,000 guns during a buyback program after the government banned assault weapons. But critics say the process was flawed and many owners have illegally stashed their guns. (AP Photo/Nick Perry, File)

Read more: https://apnews.com/467c462a5bbc0af37eea20ed24af95df

[groundloop]

1. New Zealanders must not love their Second Amendment as much as us 'muricans

I'm afraid we'll never take action on gun violence. We've had so many horrific massacres, yet only thoughts and prayers.

[JonLP24]

8. Outside of thoughts & prayers

They blame mental illness or even video games. I easily gave up hope anything will change.

[Aristus]

2. "Why do New Zealanders hate freedom?"

That's the question you just know every gun-crazed fuckbrain in the US is going to be asking.

Freedom from terror is a pretty powerful inducement, if you ask me...

[Submariner]

3. I wonder what our NZ ambassador Centerfold Scottie Brown is saying

about this to further embarrass the United States overseas.

[NickB79]

4. I've seen estimates of 300,000-600,000 semi-autos in New Zealand

So, an 8-16% turn in rate. That's....not so good.

[oldsoftie]

5. Nor do we know what was actually turned in.

Many times here in the US, when there are gun buybacks people bring in shit guns or guns that are worthless just to get the free cash.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

9. cash

And what do they do with that cash?
The right kind of folks maybe go Christmas shopping.
The others might buy a box of nails and some nail polish remover.

[XRubicon]

20. I guess the owners of the banned guns not turned in are now criminals.

They can't take them outside, they need to keep them hidden. No target practice- nothing.

[hughee99]

6. Well, they got 50k guns out of the hands of the people probably least likely to cause any trouble

with them. I'm not sure how much safer the place will be, but I'll bet it's not a significant amount. At least it's not less safe.

[JonLP24]

7. Probably safer than the US

The US has the highest rates of gun ownership & highest rates of gun homicides as well as suicides among developed countries & it isn't even close.

People will continue to make arguments against gun control nothing will change and more people will continue to die.

[oldsoftie]

10. The US is NOT the highest rate of gun homicide. Not even close; we're 28th.

The United States has the 28th-highest rate of deaths from gun violence in the world: 4.43 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017.
Suicide, however, the US is 2nd.

[CTyankee]

12. I would prefer to live in a country with a lower rate of gun deaths, thank you.

For me, that is the question. and it's not even close.

[oldsoftie]

16. Well I imagine those living in the more dangerous ones think the same.

I just post the facts

[CTyankee]

19. I'm pretty well traveled and have asked folks in other countries (European) a couple of things

about America: what do you think of our 2nd Amendment constitutional right to have guns. And also, would they like to have American style health care instead of socialized medicine.

I don't think I need to tell you what the overwhelming responses were...

[oldsoftie]

21. Oh, I'm sure I know!

[dware]

23. Quite personally,

I really don't care what other countries think of our rights, or our health care system.

[CTyankee]

24. I was just curious. AND, they are more curious about why we put up with guns in our midst and

a health care system that doesn't work. How would you explain that to someone in the Netherlands for instance (they are no bullshit people; nice, but blunt).

[dware]

25. Ok. I got it.

I'm more concerned about what Americans think than other countries.

[CTyankee]

26. I am too, which is why I bring up the fact that we are so far behind our friends in Europe and lots

of other places in such areas as gun safety, universal health care and electing a woman as head of state...

[dware]

28. All good points,

and, now that I understand your post, I wholeheartedly agree with you.

[JonLP24]

30. I'm an American and would prefer a European style universal health care

I also prefer their gun laws.

[dware]

33. I'm an American also,

and I too would prefer their health care laws, as far as their gun laws, not so much.

[LiberalLovinLug]

14. I think its unfair to compare the US with poorer third world countries

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/11/09/666209430/deaths-from-gun-violence-how-the-u-s-compares-with-the-rest-of-the-world

"The level of gun violence in the United States is completely outsized compared to what's seen in other wealthy countries. In fact, the rate of gun violence in the U.S. is higher than in many low-income countries.

Those are the findings of the latest version of an annual report on gun violence from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which tracks lives lost in every country, in every year, by every possible cause of death.

The report points out that when you consider countries with the top indicators of socioeconomic success — income per person and average education level, for instance — the United States is bested by just 18 nations, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada and Japan.

Those countries all also enjoy low rates of gun violence. But the U.S. has the 28th-highest rate in the world: 4.43 deaths due to gun violence per 100,000 people in 2017. That was nine times as high as the rate in Canada, which had 0.47 deaths per 100,000 people — and 29 times as high as in Denmark, which had 0.15 deaths per 100,000.

The 2017 figures also paint a fairly rosy picture for much of the rest of the world, with deaths due to gun violence rare even in many countries that are extremely poor — such as Bangladesh, which saw 0.07 deaths per 100,000 people.

Prosperous Asian countries such as Singapore and Japan boast the absolute lowest rates, though the United Kingdom and Germany are in almost as good shape.

"It is a little surprising that a country like ours should have this level of gun violence," Ali Mokdad, a professor of global health and epidemiology at the IHME, told NPR. "If you compare us to other well-off countries, we really stand out."

[oldsoftie]

17. But that points out that many poorer countries also have lower rates.

I just corrected the statement that the US was the worst. It was WAY off being factual.
Certainly if we'd NEVER had any guns here we'd be much safer. Most of the other countries NEVER had handguns as part of their society. The problem is that we DO have them. 100s of millions. And even if we made them illegal, few people would turn them in. I know a ton of gun owners. None of them would turn in anything to the govt; guns or anything else. I do think red flag laws would have a bigger impact on criminals than people expect. And harsher punishment for those who use them illegally. We will never be rid of them even though it'd be nice if we could

[Kaleva]

18. Where one lives has a lot to do with the gun violence rate.

The chances of me, a 61 year old white male living in rural Michigan being the victim of gun violence is next to zilch. The same cannot be said for a young black male living in Detroit or Flint where the rate is at war zone levels for that group.

[JonLP24]

29. I said developed countries

[hughee99]

11. It is another country, so all that is relevant here is how much safer

This made the people of NZ. Americans aren’t any safer now than they were before.

[meadowlander]

13. They have a legal basis for removing them from the people likely to cause trouble in the future.

Which, I believe, is the real point.

The buyback was just to compensate everyone else for legislation that made something previously legal illegal.

[hughee99]

22. I don't think they've really accomplished much until

They start removing them from “people likely to cause trouble in the future”. I’m curious to see how that will go.

[Locrian]

15. well they'll all be sorry...

When it turns into a communist/socialist/monarchy! I imagine the jackbooted gov thugs are on their way to kick in doors and steal the women children for slavery any minute now....

Any minute....

Any minute....




do I really need it?

[aeromanKC]

27. Lives have just been saved

Perhaps someone reading this post. Who knows. But, people who would have been killed by these guns will now have a second chance at life. We don't know who they are, but they are out there.

[aeromanKC]

34. Guns are stolen

and accidents and suicides happen. Guaranteed, someone would have died from these guns in the future. Now they won't.

[marble falls]

35. Just think: if we'd had safe and sane gun laws sooner most of them ...

wouldn't have guns to keep.

You know unless you have a grenade launcher those AR-15s the whackos keep are unbeatable. <sarcasm>

Want to stop a huge portion of murder in this country? Disarm by the police with a search warrant anyone accused of domestic violence or with a peace warrant sworn out against them. If they're caught with a weapon, they would go directly to jail just like a probation violation puts a probationary criminal in the can.