Gun control extremists' best plans for stopping mass shootings proven a total failure in New Zealand attack

A 28 year-old self-described fascist is accused of carrying out a pre-planned terror attack on worshipers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, 2019.

When the attack was over, at least 50 people were dead and 36 others wounded. The accused attacker has been apprehended.

Gun rights activists have often speculated that anti-gun rights persons might be conducting these attacks as a sick way to further their agenda, and this time there seems to be proof. According to a 74-page "manifesto" posted online and attributed to the accused attacker, the killer's motive, was, in part, to promote demand for more gun control in the United States.

This attack SHOULD promote discussion among the American public about the Second Amendment. Why? Because every law that gun control advocates claim will stop these attacks here in America is already in place in New Zealand, and the terrible results speak for themselves.

Gun control "mass shooting solution" #1 - implement so-called "universal" background checks - FAIL

New Zealand citizens must undergo significant background checks and be issued a license to own any firearm. Private transfers of firearms are illegal. Unlicensed persons are not allowed to purchase ammunition.

New Zealanders' gun ownership licenses can be issued or denied at the discretion of law enforcement. They must also attend gun-safety classes and pass a federal test.

There is no set waiting period to obtain a firearms license, and self-defense is not considered a valid reason to possess firearms.

New Zealanders' gun ownership licenses must be renewed every 10 years and can be revoked by police who suspect the holder is no longer fit.

Gun control "mass shooting solution" #2- restrict access to so-called "high-capacity" magazines - FAIL

Gun control extremists and their mainstream media cohorts have branded standard capacity magazines for modern sporting rifles and most semi-automatic handguns as "high-capacity" magazines, and claim that banning them will prevent mass shootings.

New Zealand law severely restricts magazines that hold more than seven rounds.

Gun control "mass shooting solution" #3 - restrict access to so-called "assault" weapons - FAIL

There are heavy regulations on so-called "assault" weapons (referred to in New Zealand law as military-style semi-automatic or MSSAs). In addition to the gun-ownership licensing scheme noted above, additional permits are required to purchase MSSAs, and the applicant must convince police that he or she is a “fit and proper person to be in possession of the MSSA to which that application relates."

Police have literally tried to classify just about everything as a MSSA, including single shot bolt action guns (that attempt got quashed by a court).

The attacker in this case had passed all New Zealand government background checks tests and training and received permission to own firearms in November 2017.

Recovered at the scene were two semi-automatic rifles and two shotguns, as well as a lever-action firearm, as well as at least two improvised explosive devices.

Gun control "mass shooting solution" #4 - restrict access to handguns - FAIL

Although they do everything they can to hide it these days, gun control extremists' ultimate goal is to ban ALL guns. In the 1970's and 1980's, they were much more open about this goal. Indeed, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was originally named Handgun Control, Inc.

The Brady bunch would fit in well in New Zealand, where the ownership of handguns is also heavily restricted, requiring the same extensive permits as MSSAs described above.

Gun control "mass shooting solution" #5 - ban concealed carry - FAIL

Gun control extremists hate American concealed carry laws, especially when they allow citizens to carry in schools or places of worship. They routinely fight efforts to allow persons with concealed firearms to protect our students in most vulnerable places.

Concealed carry is banned in New Zealand, as is carrying guns for self-defense. In addition, some police officers in the country do not carry firearms.

The attacker in this case had unrestricted access at multiple locations to carry out his attack, because no one was around who was allowed to carry a firearm and fight back.

Gun control "mass shooting solution" #6 - implement so-called "red flag" laws - FAIL

Gun control extremists claim we can prevent mass shootings by passing laws which violate Americans' constitutional right to due process of law by allowing police to take firearms from people who may be exhibiting certain "red flag," without respect for their Constitutional right to due process. New Zealand law enforcement are empowered with the authority to deny ANYONE with a history of mentally illness the ability to own a firearm.

Gun control "mass shooting solution" #7 - implement so-called "mandatory safe storage" laws - FAIL

Gun control advocates claim that we can prevent mass shootings by passing laws that would mandate that firearms be stored in certain ways, often making them largely inaccessible when needed most - in an attack necessitating the need for self-defense.

New Zealand has strict procedures regulating the storage of firearms by private individuals, and police are required to inspect and approve firearm storage before issuing a gun ownership license.

Despite the fact that New Zealand has already tried LITERALLY EVERTHING gun control advocates claim will prevent mass shootings here in America, don't be surprised when they use the New Zealand attack as "proof" of the need for these "solutions" here. That's because their real goal ISN'T to prevent mass shootings - it's to overturn the Second Amendment and bring New Zealand-style gun control to our shores.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.