Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke's Bay Muslim community praises Government's immediate change in gun laws

Hawkes Bay Today
21 Mar, 2019 01:34 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

President of the Hawke's Bay Baitul Mokarram Masjid and Islamic Centre Trust Sayed Ahmed said he was relieved NZ had acted so fast. Photo / Paul Taylor

President of the Hawke's Bay Baitul Mokarram Masjid and Islamic Centre Trust Sayed Ahmed said he was relieved NZ had acted so fast. Photo / Paul Taylor

The Hawke's Bay Muslim community's leader says he is happy with the Government's decision to immediately ban military style and semi-automatic assault rifles.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed stronger gun laws would come into effect immediately in a press conference this afternoon.

The country's rules around guns have been in the spotlight since last Friday's mosque shootings in Christchurch.

The president of the Hawke's Bay Baitul Mokarram Masjid and Islamic Centre Trust, Sayed Ahmed, said he was relieved the Government had acted so fast.

The way the community had rallied around the mosque in Hastings, planting flowers and sharing love, had warmed his heart, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Many of our brothers and sisters have been scared of more attacks happening but the sense of community of locals and government has put many of us at ease."

Ardern said Cabinet agreed to overhaul the law when it met on Monday, 72 hours after the attack.

The ban was on all military-style semi-automatics (MSSA) and assault rifles in New Zealand.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Related parts used to convert these guns into MSSAs are also being banned, along with all high-capacity magazines.

"An amnesty will be put in place for weapons to be handed in, and Cabinet has directed officials to develop a buyback scheme. Further details will be announced on the buyback in due course."

All semi-automatic weapons used during the terrorist attack on Friday, March 15 will be banned.

"Legislation to give effect to the ban will be introduced when Parliament sits in the first week of April. We will provide a short, sharp select committee process for feedback on the technical aspects of the changes. We are looking to progress the amendments to this legislation under urgency and expect these amendments to the Arms Act to be passed within the next session of Parliament."

Discover more

New Zealand

A new Gun City store is opening in Napier - with the support of city's mayor

18 Mar 05:38 PM

Gun City need to step up and take down military-style weapons from their shelves

20 Mar 05:00 PM
James Crow from Napier with daughter Zana, 7, started a petition against Gun City coming to Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor
James Crow from Napier with daughter Zana, 7, started a petition against Gun City coming to Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

Earlier today, the Herald revealed Gun City had sold out of the type of rifle used in the terror attack.

Gun City's new store in Napier is set to open its doors to the public in two weeks' time, but some feel the doors should remain closed.

Napier City Council granted land-use consent to expand a multi-unit building in July last year and said the store was due to open in the first week of April.

The franchise, along with a sports retail store, has been built on a site next to Big Save Furniture near Pandora Pond, Ahuriri.

Napier local James Crow has started a petition on Change.org to "tell council no Gun City in Napier".

Crow has lived in Ahuriri for two years and wants to see what the opinion of the community is about the store.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Before what happened last week I wasn't too keen on the idea of it, but after what happened in Christchurch and how the company responded I don't see the need for it," Crow said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Family ties as Joe Helmore art features in HB auction

Premium
Opinion

Elastic is anything but trivial: Wyn Drabble

Hawkes Bay Today

Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Family ties as Joe Helmore art features in HB auction
Hawkes Bay Today

Family ties as Joe Helmore art features in HB auction

Artist follows in his grandmother's footsteps to craft a piece for Bay wine auction.

17 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Premium
Elastic is anything but trivial: Wyn Drabble
Opinion

Elastic is anything but trivial: Wyn Drabble

17 Jul 06:00 PM
Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay
Hawkes Bay Today

Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay

17 Jul 06:02 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP