Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Government officials on Friday announced a new gun registry that's designed to track and monitor every legally owned firearm in New Zealand -- a direct result of a shooting attack killed more than 50 people this year.
The register is part of several new actions by the government in recent months to mitigate gun violence. In April, it banned military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles.
Australian Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques on March 15, which was the deadliest attack in modern New Zealand history.
"Owning a firearm is a privilege not a right; that means we need to do all we can to ensure that only honest, law-abiding citizens are able to obtain firearms licenses and use firearms," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday.
The register, which will take five years to implement, will contain the license holder's name, date of birth and address, along with their license number and details of their firearms.
"Parliament will review the bill five years after it has been enacted so we can be sure it is working how we intend it to," police minister Stuart Nash said. "The aim of these changes is to keep our communities safe by strengthening the framework for the safe use and control of firearms."
Anyone who unlawfully sells a firearm would face up to two years in prison and $20,000 fine. New Zealand lawmakers will hold their first reading of the proposal Sept. 24.
