New Zeland bans all military-style semi-automatic guns and assault rifles
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
> The gun reform proposal will be introduced to Parliament in the first week of April. For it to come into effect, lawmakers need to vote on amending the existing legislation, the Arms Act 1983.
> In the interim, New Zealand Governor General Patsy Reddy has signed an order to reclassify some semi-automatic weapons as "military-style".
> As a result, many people who legally owned certain firearms will no longer be able to possess them on their existing license conditions.
So, a bit of both. The Government can make some immediate changes; others require Parliament's involvement in the near future. (Presumably there's an agreement already largely worked out there.)
It’s almost like the headlines are written in such a way as to say “See? It’s just that easy!”
I also know that there are several countries where firearms are widely available to private citizens, both in their homes and in public, such as the Czech Republic.
> Do citizens have the same constitutional protections there as they do here w.r.t. gun ownership?
I don't believe we ever needed or wanted such protection.
It doesn't go into a lot of detail, but I think they already have a drugs-like classification system for firearms, with delegated authority to decide what goes in what category, so they're just moving all semi-auto to the "banned" category. By the sound of it, it really is that easy.
UK/Australia comparative review: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/firearms-act-t...
Oh, so the same weapon used in Virginia Tech, one of the worst school shootings in US history.
Ultimately, the policy goal is gonna be damage reduction. NZ likely understands that perfect protection isn't possible.
People still manage to murder, but that doesn't mean we make it legal.
I can literally bake a lower receiver out of plastic in my oven or make one on my 3D printer. For something a bit nicer I can buy, and setup a CNC machine which only cost a few thousand dollars.
Yes, you can probably build or smuggle a gun if you're determined enough. I'm OK with stopping "the dysfunctional, mentally ill" you mention, and having them be outright illegal increases the chances of someone seeing them and tipping off the cops, being dunned in by an informant, or them being intercepted at customs, a traffic stop, etc.
You correctly highlight that this sort of thing is difficult, and won't ever be a 100% solution. Your apparent conclusion - that we shouldn't ever do anything - doesn't logically follow.
It may reduce the frequency and effectiveness of such attacks, as Australia's tightening of gun laws did for shootings. I'll take it.
If the majority of school shootings etc in the States we're stopped by the populace with guns then yeah I'd agree with you.
Based on my experience (in the US), almost no one outside of "firearms enthusiasts" is capable of distinguishing between legal and illegal configurations. In many cases, even those who do know the specific differences aren't in consensus on what is legal and what isn't.
An AR-15 is a Class E firearm - unless it has a thumbhole stock, no "bad" features, and 7-round magazines. In that case it's a Class A firearm.
No, because murder is harmful in itself. Guns are not. Knives are not. Ropes are not. Trucks are not.
http://theconversation.com/regulating-people-not-just-guns-m...
It's tremendously idiotic.
Do you mean the lobbyists or the general public?
If you ask the general public to pick out which ones are not "military style" you're going to find that a lot of the ones banned don't get picked. So it doesn't meet your criteria for success.
Military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) firearms
Are firearms that require an endorsement on your firearms licence (E endorsement) and are subject to special security conditions. Only an E endorsed person may have or use a MSSA and it is an offence for anyone without this endorsement to fire one, even under supervision. Only persons 18 years of age or older can have an endorsement for one of these firearms. A permit to procure the MSSA must be obtained from an Arms Officer before taking possession of it. MSSAs require greater storage security than for standard sporting firearms.
A MSSA is a self-loading rifle or shotgun with one or more of the following features:
• Folding or telescopic butt
• Magazine that holds, or is detachable and has the appearance of holding more than 15 cartridges for .22 rimfire
• Magazine that holds more than 7 cartridges, or is detachable and has the appearance of holding more than 10 cartridges for other than a .22 rimfire
• Bayonet lug
• Pistol grip as defined by regulation
• Flash suppresser
You need a permit from the Police to obtain one of these firearms.
Parliament needs to agree the compensation/buyback, and presumably any wider reaching changes to firearm licencing. All that's been done to start is recategorising some weapons to need the E licence so they are no longer legal to hold, even for those who already have them on an A licence.
I'm sure there's a couple more nits you can find to pick. :p
This does not yet have Parliamentary approval, but is expected to pass. It includes mandatory buybacks, but since they do not have a gun registry law they will have some challenges measuring compliance.