New Zealand immediately enacted new gun laws after the horrible shooting of a mosque by a self-declared white supremacist. And while many on the American left celebrated the move, pro-gun Americans saw it as a massive red flag — an indicator of what could soon be coming to the United States if they don’t remain vigilant.
Let’s take a look at exactly what just happened to the gun community in New Zealand.
The new law primarily targets civilian weapons with the appearance of military weapons — commonly referred to as “assault rifles” by the media. Guns defined as being semi-automatic and having a detachable magazine which holds more than five bullets fall into this category. Their definition of military-style weapons also includes rifles with flash suppressors, telescoping or foldable stocks, pistol grips, or bayonet attachments. Anyone who wants to turn in their weapon can do so, or they can wait for a formal gun buyback program to be put in place which is expected to spend 140 million U.S. Dollars.
The law clearly does not ban all weapons or prevent hunting and sporting enthusiasts from owning a gun, but it does introduce very heavy restrictions. Weapons that fire .22 caliber ammunition or smaller are spared, as are pistols and shotguns which don’t have detachable magazines. Theoretically, if someone develops a plugged version of the magazine to limit the amount of ammunition it holds, a person could still own an AR-15 or AK-47. Such a loophole could prevent the law from achieving its intended effect, as anybody could buy such a magazine for use when traveling and leave the 30 round magazine with the rifle for home defense purposes.
The main argument behind the law is one that Americans have heard for years from the anti-gun lobby, in that restricting the amount of rounds a gun can fire before reloading will restrict the amount of damage a person can cause with the weapon. There’s also an implication that nobody “needs” more than five bullets to conduct any task they might use a gun for, and of course, the ridiculous idea that making guns illegal will make criminals unable to use guns in their crimes.
The gun law is similar to how guns are treated in Canada, England, and especially Australia. People don’t have a Bill of Rights to assure they can own guns, so they consider it to be a privilege.
One thing is clear, however: the people of New Zealand are far less free now than they were before the shooting. This might have been the mass shooter’s intention from the onset. If so, his vile act of terrorism was a success.
~ Ready to Fire News
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