Our gun laws will change – New Zealand Prime Minister

The day after more than 40 were killed in mass shootings at two mosques in New Zealand in one of the worst mass shootings in the nation’s history, the country’s prime minister vowed to strengthen the country’s gun laws.

“I can tell you one thing right now: our gun laws will change,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during a press conference Saturday morning. “Now is the time for change.”

Forty-nine people were killed and more than 40 others injured after shootings at two mosques in Christchurch during Friday’s afternoon prayer. An Australian citizen in his late 20s has been charged with murder and two others have been taken into custody.

Ardern said the primary gunman used five guns, including semi-automatic weapons and shotguns, in the attack, adding that he obtained a gun license in November 2017 and acquired the guns thereafter.

Authorities would be investigating how and when he acquired the firearms as well as the suspect’s travel in and out of New Zealand, Ardern said.