Gun control supporters in the United States cheered New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday for her vow to ban AR-15 rifles and other weapons and parts nationwide following the mass shooting at a mosque in Christchurch last week.
“New Zealand is showing us exactly what it means to fulfill @bradybuzz’s motto — #TakeActionNotSides. Not thoughts. Not prayers. Action,” Brady Center President Kris Brown wrote Thursday morning.
New Zealand is showing us exactly what it means to fulfill @bradybuzz‘s motto — #TakeActionNotSides.
Not thoughts.
Not prayers.
Action.#EndGunViolence #EnoughIsEnough https://t.co/uNFCF2P7aw— Kris Brown (@KrisB_Brown) March 21, 2019
Shannon Watts, founder of Every Town for Gun Safety’s grassroots organization Moms Demands Action, also praised New Zealand’s move.
“New Zealand’s willingness to act swiftly after a national shooting tragedy stands in stark contrast to the US. For too long, a powerful gun lobby persuaded some lawmakers to stop laws proven to protect people from gun violence. But their power is waning, and Americans are acting,” Watts tweeted.
New Zealand’s willingness to act swiftly after a national shooting tragedy stands in stark contrast to the US. For too long, a powerful gun lobby persuaded some lawmakers to stop laws proven to protect people from gun violence. But their power is waning, and Americans are acting. https://t.co/956JINw0Ep
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 21, 2019
Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said the U.S. ought to learn from New Zealand’s swift response.
“This is what real action to stop gun violence looks like. We must follow New Zealand’s lead, take on the NRA and ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons in the United States,” Sanders wrote in a tweet late Wednesday.
This is what real action to stop gun violence looks like. We must follow New Zealand’s lead, take on the NRA and ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons in the United States. https://t.co/lSAisDG9Ur
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 21, 2019
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said of New Zealand, “This is what leadership looks like.”
Sandy Hook happened 6 years ago and we can’t even get the Senate to hold a vote on universal background checks w/ #HR8.
Christchurch happened, and within days New Zealand acted to get weapons of war out of the consumer market.
This is what leadership looks like ⬇️ https://t.co/TcdR63anBt
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019
Gun rights supporters, meanwhile, were warning that the answer New Zealand was pursuing wouldn’t work in the U.S., in part because the Constitution won’t allow such a sweeping ban.
“[T]he US isn’t NZ. While they do not have an inalienable right to bear arms and to self defense, we do,” National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch wrote this week.
First, define “assault weapon.” Words are important and certain laws come into play depending on which words are used, so define this.
Secondly, the US isn’t NZ. While they do not have an inalienable right to bear arms and to self defense, we do. https://t.co/E3M7Qh1fbV
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 21, 2019
The NRA added earlier in the week, “Gun bans don’t disarm criminals. Gun bans disarm law-abiding citizens.”
Gun bans don’t disarm criminals. Gun bans disarm law-abiding citizens. #2A
— NRA (@NRA) March 18, 2019
Ardern expects a bill outlining the gun ban and buyback program to be in place by April 11, shortly after Parliament returns the first week of April.
The bill will ban parts, including high-capacity ammunition, that the alleged shooter used to turn his firearm into a military-style weapon. Several guns have already been identified by New Zealand government officials as those included in the ban, including the AR-15.
The buyback program will cost New Zealand $200 million in its currency, or $138 million in U.S. dollars.
“That is the price that we must pay to ensure the safety of our communities,” Adern said Thursday.
A grace period will be effective until gun owners have had a chance to sell their guns to the government. After that period ends, anyone found to have an illegal firearm or part in his or her custody faces three years in jail and an NZ$4,000 fine.
