NEW ZEALAND authorities say their country will be a safer place after owners handed in more than 50,000 guns during a buyback programme following a ban on assault weapons.
The most lethal types of semi-automatic weapons were banned less than a month after a gunman killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques in March. Police then launched a six-month programme to buy the newly banned weapons from owners. The buyback ended with gun collection events staying open late as police reported a last-minute surge.
Provisional figures indicate 33,000 people handed in 51,000 guns. Another 5000 weapons were handed in as part of a parallel amnesty in which owners could hand over any type of firearm without questions being asked but without compensation.
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