The bill was passed by a vote of 119 to 1 in the House of Representatives, less than a month after mass shootings in Christchurch.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s Parliament on Wednesday passed sweeping gun laws that outlaw military style weapons, less than a month after mass shootings at two mosques in the city of Christchurch leftA bill outlawing most automatic and semi-automatic weapons and banning components that modify existing weapons was passed by a vote of 119 to 1 in the House of Representatives after an accelerated process of debate and public submission.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke emotionally during the bill’s final reading of the traumatic injuries suffered by victims of the March 15 attacks, whom she visited in Christchurch Hospital after the shootings. “I could not fathom how weapons that could cause such destruction and large-scale death could be obtained legally in this country,” she said.Jacinda Ardern meets with a victim's relative during the national remembrance service for victims of the mosque attacks, at Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 29, 2019.
Anyone who retains such a weapon after the law formally passes on Friday faces a penalty of up to five years in prison. Some exemptions have been allowed for heirloom weapons held by collectors or for professional pest control.“We are ultimately here because 50 people died and they do not have a voice,” she said. “We in this house are their voice. Today we can use that voice wisely.”
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