CNN: Mosque attacks show New Zealand Gun control 'too lax'

The CNN headline read, “Christchurch massacre highlights lax New Zealand gun control laws.”

They report that would-be gun owners must first acquire a license and undergo a background check, then suggest that New Zealand lacks firearm registration. They report, “Gun owners do need a license but they aren’t required to register their guns.”

CNN links to a New Zealand Police source citing no overarching registration requirement. However, CNN missed the fact that the New Zealand Police note a “specific endorsement” requirement for “each military style semiautomatic, pistol, and restricted weapon.” In other words, there is a means of registration required for certain types of weapons in New Zealand, and those types of weapons include handguns and some of the firearms used in the mosque attacks.

For example, University of Sydney’s GunPolicy.org reports, “In New Zealand, private possession of handguns (pistols and revolvers) is restricted to police-approved licensed gun owners with a ‘pistol’ licence endorsement. Each handgun must be registered to its owner and securely stored.”