New Zealand bans assault weapons less than a week after massacre

Assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons have been banned in New Zealand, with immediate effect, less than a week after a white supremacist gunned down 50 Muslim worshippers. [AFP]

New Zealand is banning the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons with immediate effect, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday, rapidly making good on a pledge to tighten the country's gun laws.

The move comes less than a week after a white supremacist rampaged through two mosques killing 50 people as they prayed, sparking global revulsion.