New Zealand’s Gun Buyback Not Off To Banging Start

By Tom Knighton

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File

New Zealand isn’t the United States. While they may understand a lot of our pop culture references and things like that, they’re not Americans. They have a different history, a somewhat different culture. Their national identity doesn’t stem from a revolution where they threw off the yoke of tyranny from the greatest power in the world so as to gain their independence.

Despite that cultural identity of defiance against tyrannical authorities, though, New Zealanders aren’t really bending over to comply with new gun control laws. Few turned them in during the initial period.

According to the AP’s reporting, not many more were waiting to be reimbursed for turning them in, either.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Dozens of Christchurch gun owners on Saturday handed over their weapons in exchange for money, in the first of more than 250 planned buyback events around New Zealand after the government outlawed many types of semi-automatics.

Police said they paid more than 430,000 New Zealand dollars ($288,000) to 169 gun owners during the event. The money was paid directly into the bank accounts of gun owners.

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Police said at least 14,000 guns around the country are banned under the new legislation. There are …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms