Sydney — New Zealand’s new gun laws were officially signed into effect on Thursday, formally banning military-style, semi-automatic weapons less than a month after a white supremacist gunman killed 50 worshippers inside two Christchurch mosques. Governor-general Patsy Reddy signed the legislation late on Thursday, with the royal assent the final stage before it becomes law at midnight. The new rules are aimed at removing semi-automatic firearms from circulation through a buy-back scheme, prohibition and harsh prison sentences. They prohibit “semi-automatic firearms, magazines, and parts that can be used to assemble prohibited firearms”. On Thursday, New Zealand police began preparations for the mass buy-back scheme, advising the amnesty is now in place for the newly prohibited weapons. “We are committed to work in partnership with our firearms community across New Zealand to make this transition to the new laws as easy as possible for everybody,” deputy commissioner Michael Clement ...
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