Topic Reading-Vol.2820-12/31/2019
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Topic Reading-Vol.2820-12/31/2019
0422-27-5366
〒180-0006 東京都武蔵野市中町2-3-5 IIHA武蔵野1階
電話受付/月〜金 9:00-18:00
Topic Reading-Vol.2820-12/31/2019
Dear MEL Topic Readers,
New Zealand: 56,000 guns handed over during amnesty
New Zealand is a small island country in the South Pacific with two large islands, the North and the South, and 600 small islands. The human population of the country is nearly five million, but the population of sheep is around 30 million, approximately five to six sheep per person. Sound very peaceful, doesn’t it? Then, how many guns in the country?
The police estimated that there are about 1.2 million legal firearms owned by citizens, approximately, one for every four citizens. After the mass shooting incident that took place in Christchurch on March 15, New Zealand parliament banned the possession of semi-automatic weapons and launched a buyback program. At the end of the six-month amnesty period, they collected approximately 56,000 assault weapons and rifles. Was it a success?
Remember, the Christchurch mass shooting left 51 people dead and 49 others wounded. The gunman possessed two semi-automatic weapons, a shotgun, and a rifle. One such deadly firearm could kill a dozen or more people easily if it is used by a malicious owner. Unfortunately, it is estimated that there still are over 100,000 such deadly weapons in the island country even after the buyback program.
Hope 2019 was the last year to witness a gun crime of this scale.
Read the last article of the year and learn about New Zealand’s weapon buyback program.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50878862
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