Bar Association welcomes Government ban on assault
rifles
The New Zealand Bar Association welcomes the
Government’s ban on assault rifles today. NZBA’s council
member, Josh McBride, says that immediate changes to the
underlying legislation are now required to ensure that all
military specification assault rifles are prohibited,
irrespective of their configuration or aesthetics.
Mr
McBride, who has prepared a discussion paper and submission
to the Government on behalf of the Bar Association, says
that assault rifles have no legitimate civilian use. He says
they should never have been allowed into New
Zealand.
“Previous legislation and regulations failed to
adequately restrict the importation and sale of military
specification assault rifles and ammunition, which are
characterised by the use of intermediate cartridges to
reduce recoil and enable rapid firing,” he says.
“Intermediate cartridges have no legitimate sporting or
recreational purpose.”
Mr McBride says that any new
legislation must address not just the form and styling of
these weapons, but also their core functionality, namely
their use of intermediate cartridges to fire rapidly and
accurately at close range targets.
[Ends]
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