New Zealand Starts Gun Buyback Program In Response To Christchurch Mosque Shootings
In response to the March shootings that left 51 people dead, the nation's gun buyback program asks owners of now-banned weapons to turn them in to police departments for cash.
New Zealand's first gun buyback in the wake of the Christchurch shooting attracted more than 150 gun owners on Saturday, according to law enforcement officials.
The buyback, which took place in Christchurch, is the first of more than 250 planned nationwide this year.
Gun owners turned in 224 recently-banned semiautomatic weapons and more than 200 bannedgun parts, receiving a total of NZ $433,682, or nearly $300,000, said Mike Johnson, police commander for the , which includes the city of Christchurch.
