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New Zealanders hand in 50,000 guns after assault weapon ban

A parallel amnesty also let owners turn in guns without any questions asked.

Credit: AP

FILE - In this April 2, 2019, file photo, police acting superintendent Mike McIlraith shows New Zealand lawmakers an AR-15 style rifle similar to one of the weapons a gunman used to slaughter 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques, in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand authorities said Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, their country will be a safer place after gun owners handed in more than 50,000 guns during a buyback program after the government banned assault weapons. But critics say the process was flawed and many owners have illegally stashed their guns. (AP Photo/Nick Perry, File)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealanders have handed in more than 50,000 guns during a buyback program that ended midnight Friday.

The government banned assault weapons after a March massacre at two Christchurch mosques.

Authorities say the country will be a safer place as a result of the buyback, while critics say the process was flawed and many owners have illegally kept their weapons.

A parallel amnesty also let owners turn in guns without any questions asked.

A lone gunman used a cache of semi-automatic weapons to kill 51 people during the mosque attacks.

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