Licensed to kill in year stricter criteria rejected

New Zealand rejected sweeping changes to gun laws just months before Christchurch killer Brenton Tarrant got a firearms licence.

A high-powered assault rifles currently for sale on New Zealand’s biggest net auction website, Trade Me. Picture: Supplied

New Zealand rejected sweeping changes to gun laws just months before the Christchurch killer gained his firearms licence.

The NZ government of the time rejected the majority of recommendations from a parliamentary inquiry that could have changed the landscape of gun control in the country.

A parliamentary inquiry recommended in 2017 that the country ­introduce tighter gun regis­trations, tighter controls on gun dealers, overhaul the fit-and-proper-person criteria and create a special category of restricted semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.

The recommendations were made in the same year Brenton Tarrant received his gun licence, paving the way for him to amass a small armoury of guns for last ­Friday’s rampage.

The revelations come as NZ gun dealers openly spruik the sale of the killer assault rifles that were used by Tarrant to run amok.

New Zealanders could order an AR-15 assault rifle for $1600 at the weekend with the capacity to increase the magazine to 20 rounds with the right licence and contacts.

“Let’s pimp your AR-15,” the Gun City website said yesterday, with stores in Christchurch and four other cities.

Police will investigate whether Tarrant secured the bigger magazine capacity from the underworld, but gun shops openly advertise the magazines to increase the number of shots that can be fired from the weapons.

It is common for there to be a black market of guns and gun parts, often among bikie gangs in Australia.

NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will today discuss tighter gun control with her cabinet, ­declaring yesterday that reform would happen after the killer struck on Friday.

“There will be changes to our gun laws,” she said yesterday.

Tarrant reportedly had five guns on Friday when he killed at least 50 people in Christchurch.

Ms Ardern said the killer had a gun licence, obtained in 2017, and had bought the firearms legally, ­although he may have modified the magazines on some of the guns to increase capacity. He reportedly had two military-style assault ­­rif­les, two shotguns and a lever-­action gun as well.

She said at the weekend there had been attempts to change NZ gun laws in 2005, 2012 and 2017, but to no avail.

AR-15 style rifles can be held by an A-class registered shooter on the condition the magazine holds no more than seven rounds. Bigger magazines of up to 20 are advertised, however.

In June 2017 former police minister and deputy prime minister Paula Bennett accepted only seven recommendations of 20 after the inquiry investigated concerns about high numbers of criminals having weapons.

Gun ownership is more common in NZ than in Australia after John Howard forced the gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

Ms Bennett said in 2017 many of the reforms did not reflect well enough the rights of law-abiding gun owners and a balance needed to be struck between public safety and the rights of legal firearms’ owners.

Ms Bennett did not respond to The Australian yesterday.