, 03.21.2019 05:15 AM

Haters share one thing

…they love guns. White supremacists, neo-Nazis, homophobes, Holocaust deniers, Islamophobes, committed racists all share one thing: they are gun nuts. Back when the Heritage Front was the largest and most active hate group on the planet, they made holding a valid Canadian Firearms Acquisition Certificate a condition of membership.

So, what New Zealand has done here, in less than a week, is a big and positive step. The gun nuts will say that it won’t eliminate illegal guns, and they’re right, but they’re fundamentally dishonest, too. They know it will mean fewer assault weapons – weapons that are simply designed to hunt humans – getting into the wrong hands.

So, kudos, Kiwis. Your Prime Minister is pretty amazing, I’d say.

(CNN) — All military-style semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and high-capacity magazines will be banned in New Zealand following the mass shootings at two Christchurch mosques that killed 50 people, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Thursday.

“On 15 March our history changed forever. Now our laws will too. We are announcing action today on behalf of all New Zealanders to strengthen our gun laws and make our country a safer place,” Ardern said at a press conference in the capital Wellington.

The announcement came after the country’s cabinet agreed to overhaul the law and ban military-style semi-automatics and assault rifles 72 hours after the Christchurch attacks. 

“Every semi-automatic weapon used in the terror attack on Friday will be banned,” Ardern continued, adding that she hoped the law would be in place by April 11. “This legislation will be drafted and introduced in urgency.”

17 Comments

  1. the salamander says:

    .. Canadians should be astonished, amazed by the immediate NZ governmental response. The facts are clear.. those semi-automatic guns are by design and proven history ‘assault weapons’.. Who believes here in Canada that a hunter or sportsman or sportswoman may require an assault weapon to bag a whitetail deer, a wolf, a bear or mountain goat.. or hit a paper target at 50 or 100 yards at a shooting range?

    The black market for such weaponry services a truly dangerous clientel. Canada should accept that ‘blanket’ legislation should be enacted to choke off legal possession of such weapons.. and initiate extremely harsh detection and enforcement regarding ANY illegal possession. Realistically we need to perceive such guns as if they are ‘weapons grade’ plutonium and intended for use by terrorists, subversives and psychopathic murderers.

    That Andrew Scheer or Jason zkenney and their devout CPC cabal think hunters and sportspersons ‘need’ semi-automatic guns for hunting, sport shooting or personal protection on the farm or ranch would be laughable if it was not so pitifully ignorant & arrogant. These political animals are all ‘thoughts & prayers’ after the massacre but ethically MIA – Missing In Action prior.. its all about the evangel & rural votes.

    • A Dunn says:

      The RCMP and other anti-firearms groups have consistently made the claim…yet have never ever shown or offered any proof. And, there is not one single case in Canada of anyone ever having done so. Not even criminals have bothered
      Why? because in fact it is not easy.
      Perhaps if you owned a machine shop with about a half million dollars worth of equipment and then had the time and inclination to make something that is inaccurate and runs out of bullets in a matter of seconds.

    • Juan Galt says:

      What laws would have prevented the Danforth shooting?

  2. salamander,

    I’m ready to be corrected but I’ve heard that someone who really knows what they are doing can convert a semi- to a fully-automatic — and it doesn’t take an hour to do it.

    • B H says:

      Strictly speaking, someone who knows what they are doing can fashion a Sten gun using common machinist’s tools.

      This focus on the weapon is, ultimately, beside the point.

      Terrorists have obtained semi-automatic and fully-automatic weapons in jurisdictions with strict gun control.

      They have opted for bombs, vans, and planes in other circumstances.

      Depriving the overwhelming majority of peaceable and lawful citizens from possessing arms in order to prevent the uncommon criminal asshole from having them—maybe—is an affront.

      It is heart-rending that innocent people died.

      Using their blood to deprive citizens of their natural rights is abominable.

  3. 416Firearmsowner says:

    Ronald,

    It depends on the firearm. Certain types, like the AK-47, can be converted easily. These are banned in Canada (not just Prohibited, but outright banned).

    An AR-15 cannot be easily converted. It requires specific components which are not available to the public. Period. If they are full-auto, they have been obtained with parts that have been obtained through black market military/law enforcement channels.

    Salamander, an AR-15 does have legitimate sporting and hunting uses. Predatory animals like coyotes or wild hogs are best harvested with these firearms, versus a traditional bolt-action or lever action. The AR-15 was not originally intended as a military rifle. It was chosen on the whim of Gen. Curtis LeMay, rather than the FN FAL adopted by most NATO countries (including Canada), regarded as a superior design that fired a larger cartridge that is also used for hunting deer and other larger game. The FN FAL is also banned in Canada.

    FYI Warren, I do post under my real name but I am using a pseudonym since I am a firearms owner and do not want to put my name out there to be targeted for theft. I am posting in good faith and not as a troll sock puppet.

  4. 416Firearmsowners says:

    Warren, do you know if the RCMP has gotten better at screening out extremists from holding licenses? Having gone through the process, it seemed quite rigorous. The gun club I belong to is also quite ethnically diverse and is owned by a woman with numerous female staff and members. I imagine you likely have no interest in joining me one day, but nonetheless I’d be happy to take you and let you shoot my .22 target rifle (I do not own any handguns or AR-15s).

    One last point: my family was fortunate enough to flee Europe before Hitler sent the rest of their family to the gas chambers. Both of my grandfathers were peaceful men who abhorred violence and were not “rough and ready” types spoiling for a fight. They were pillars of the Jewish community in Toronto and other communities where they resided, active in the civil rights movement at a time when it was deeply unfashionable. Nevertheless, they were both staunchly in favour of firearm ownership by private citizens and one even carried a pistol for a time (legally of course). I try to uphold that tradition, especially in regards to their responsible and ethical approach, and I do not feel it is fair to paint us all with this brush.

    • B H says:

      Enjoying the disarmament of oneself and one’s fellow citizens is a luxury of those who have never known a real threat to life and liberty.

      No student of history looks back and says that the best state of a citizen is one of disarmament.

      • Juan Galt says:

        Exactly! Western civilization has been so successful that it has produced generations of men whose survival instincts have atrophied.

      • If you look at mass protests seeking democracy, one that remain non-violent sometimes succeed, sometimes fail.

        Ones that do turn to arms, often results in a civil war and even if the government loses it is replaced with a new government that is at least as repressive as the old.

        The American Revolution is the exception, not the rule.

  5. Miles Lunn says:

    For the white supremacist groups they shouldn’t own any firearms. As for assault weapons ban totally support it. May be some disagreement on the exact details but whether its a full ban on semi-automatics or a partial both move in the right direction. I do think though sadly the gun lobby in Canada with groups like CCFR has become a lot more aggressive than they were in the past, but I think public opinion strongly disagrees with them so any leader of strength could take them on.

    • Juan Galt says:

      Assault weapons are already banned in Canada, and semi-autos account for 80%+ of firearms in this country out of approximately 10 million guns. Good luck banning them.

      • Miles Lunn says:

        Fully automatics are banned, but military style semi-automatics are not. Most firearms in Canada are bolt/lever action and some pump action which no one is talking about banning. It is centrefire semi-automatics whereby the bullet is automatically loaded into the cartridge after each pull without taking any other action. Those are only a minority of guns in Canada and just like Australia and UK did and New Zealand appears to be doing it can be done here, just requires the political will.

  6. Joe Dirtey says:

    Tyrants share one thing:
    Despots, dictators, propagandists, leftist media, they love lying to push the agenda of disarming people. They use tragic events to grave dance and punish all the people who were NOT responsible for the shootings. All the while coddling the criminal, saying things like “he was a good boy, just trying to turn his life around”, “he can’t be held responsible, the gun made him do it”, and “it is society’s (read old white ‘privileged’ men’s) fault he was the way he was”. Blame everyone and everything except the murdering criminal, and use each event to take away the next bit of people’s rights until they are ultimately the government’s slaves.

  7. Keith says:

    Anyone who starts out their rant with grouping people, (in this case, gun owners) who share a common interest as this moron has, shouldn’t be listened to. Gun owners, by in large and far in wide, are everyday law abiding people. Lots of Black supremacists own guns to ya freak.

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