New Zealand's government is planning further restrictions to gun ownership in a law proposed Monday that emphasizes owning guns is a privilege and not a right.
The new law would ban the sale of guns to overseas visitors, create a register to track all guns in the country, and require gun owners to renew their gun licenses every five years instead of every 10. It would also allow police to weigh other factors such as a person's mental health and even what they had been posting on social media to determine whether they were fit to own a gun.
The government hopes lawmakers will approve the legislation by the end of the year.
FILE - In this May 15, 2019, file photo, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attends a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, as part of the "Tech For Good" summit in Paris. New Zealand's government is planning further restrictions on gun ownership in a proposed law that emphasizes owning guns is a privilege and not a right. (Yoan ValatPool Photo via AP, File)
The proposed measures come after New Zealand in April rushed through legislation to ban so-called military-style weapons such as AR-15 style rifles after a lone gunman in March killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques.
The government has launched a buyback scheme to compensate people for the outlawed semi-automatics, and has so far collected and destroyed more than 3,200 weapons. The gun buyback and amnesty runs until December.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she thinks the vast majority of New Zealanders disagree with the U.S. model under which gun ownership is seen as a constitutional right and is interpreted by many to be a defense against potential government overreach.
FILE - In this April 1, 2019, file photo, New Zealand Police Minister Stuart Nash talks to reporters in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand's government is planning further restrictions on gun ownership in a proposed law that emphasizes owning guns is a privilege and not a right. (AP PhotoNick Perry, File)
Ardern said that growing up in a rural farming area, she always understood New Zealanders had a practical need for owning guns.
"But at the same time I don't think that extends to this view that every New Zealand citizen has the need and right to generally arm itself," she said. "We're a society that I think has always drawn that very clear distinction."
She said that, for instance, there was no plan to arm New Zealand police, who typically patrol without carrying guns.
"I think we do see a difference between who we are as a society and the way that our police force works — and others," Ardern said.
People with recent serious convictions are banned from owning guns. The new law would also allow police to investigate others and potentially ban them for reasons such as if they were promoting violence or extremism, had serious mental health issues, or had attempted suicide.
Police Minister Stuart Nash said the legislation would allow police to monitor people's social media accounts to determine whether they were fit to own weapons.
"What we do know is that the Christchurch terrorist was engaged on some sites which were promoting some pretty horrific material," Nash said. "So that's one thing police will have the ability to assess when they determine if someone is fit and proper to have a firearms license."
The new legislation is expected to be introduced into the Parliament next month. It would go out for three months of public feedback before being voted on for a final time by lawmakers.
The idea of a gun register is opposed by some groups including the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners and by conservative politician David Seymour.
"Criminals, of course, will not register their guns, making the exercise almost worthless," Seymour said in a statement.
Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian white supremacist, has pleaded not guilty to terrorism, murder and attempted murder charges following the March attacks. He remains in jail ahead of his trial, which has been scheduled for next May.
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
