Wellington (dpa) Five months after a gunman stormed into two Christchurch mosques and opened fire, killing 51 people and injuring many more, New Zealanders have handed over 12,183 firearms at more than 100 events held around the country, police said on Friday.
"Firearms owners' attitude towards this process has been outstanding," Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement said in a statement.
"They have really engaged in the process and police staff involved in the buy-back have heard positive feedback about the experience," he added.
Owners have until December 20 to hand in the now illegal weapons under an amnesty agreement, after New Zealand banned most semi-automatic firearms, some pump-action shotguns and certain large-capacity magazines in April, less than four weeks after the March 15 attack by a suspected white supremacist.
So far the government has paid out 22.4 million New Zealand dollars (14.43 million dollars) of the 168 million it has put aside in its budget for the buy-back scheme.
While many firearms owners are happy to hand over their now outlawed weapons, the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO), which describes itself as the largest voluntary shooting-related organisation in New Zealand, earlier this week asked its members to hold on to banned firearms until the government announced better compensation.
It also criticised some collection events currently as "hostile environments due to the heavy presence of armed police, intense participant management, and interrogation of some owners."
