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New Zealand PM: Gun Reform To Be Announced 'WITHIN DAYS'
New Zealand's cabinet has agreed "in principle" to tighten gun control laws, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday, promising the changes will make the country safer. "We've unified, there are simply details to work through," she said.
The attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, which left 50 people dead, "has exposed a range of weaknesses in New Zealand's gun laws," Ardern said. "The clear lesson from history around the world is that to make our community safer the time to act is now."
New Zealand's quick move to reform gun laws in the aftermath of a mass shooting lies in stark contrast to the typical response in the United States, where many lawmakers resist immediate calls for tighter gun laws, accusing activists of politicizing a tragedy.
Compared to the United States, New Zealand already has fairly strict gun control laws. According to the New York Times, to get a gun in New Zealand, applicants must first pass a background check that considers criminal, medical, mental health and domestic violence records; provide character references; subject themselves to government interviews; pass a home security inspection; take a gun safety course; and then wait weeks or months for firearms license approval.
The attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, which left 50 people dead, "has exposed a range of weaknesses in New Zealand's gun laws," Ardern said. "The clear lesson from history around the world is that to make our community safer the time to act is now."
New Zealand's quick move to reform gun laws in the aftermath of a mass shooting lies in stark contrast to the typical response in the United States, where many lawmakers resist immediate calls for tighter gun laws, accusing activists of politicizing a tragedy.
Compared to the United States, New Zealand already has fairly strict gun control laws. According to the New York Times, to get a gun in New Zealand, applicants must first pass a background check that considers criminal, medical, mental health and domestic violence records; provide character references; subject themselves to government interviews; pass a home security inspection; take a gun safety course; and then wait weeks or months for firearms license approval.
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/18/704360922/new-zealand-pm-promises-tighter-gun-laws