New Zealand Gun Sales Are Increasing, Yet Homicides Remain Rare
- Death toll from Christchurch attack greater than all of 2017
- Mosque shootings may revive gun debates among lawmakers
Rifles and shotguns, which are bigger and typically require two hands to operate, are the firearms of choice for New Zealand citizens.
Photographer: Sandra Mu/Getty Images
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New Zealand’s gun ownership rate has risen in the past decade to become one of the highest in the world, yet its homicide rate remains well below global norms as many of those weapons belong to hunters and farmers.
Friday’s mass shootings in Christchurch killed at least 49 people, one more than the total number of homicides in the country in 2017, according to the latest police figures. The attacks at two mosques are the country’s worst mass shooting in more than seven decades.