Mass killings could lead to changes in New Zealand's gun laws

The New Zealand Government has signalled that the country’s gun laws “will change” in the wake of yesterday’s mass killing.

The warning comes as Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, the main suspect in the shooting deaths of 49 people at two mosques, made his first court appearance on a single murder charge.

It is expected that additional charges will be filed against him.

Tarrant stood silently during the brief hearing in Christchurch and was remanded without entering a plea.

Authorities identified three of the victims as Daoud Nabi, 71, who is believed to have thrown himself in front of other people inside the mosque to protect them; Khaled Mustafa, a refugee from the war in Syria; and Hosne Ara, 42, who was shot while searching for her wheelchair-bound husband.

Her husband survived the attack.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says officials are still carrying out the identification of the victims.

The Foreign Ministry in Pakistan named six of its nationals who were killed and said three others who are missing “were still being identified.”

Ardern, who was speaking during a press conference today, called the attack "an act of terror,” revealing that the guns used by the attacker appeared to have been modified and that the suspect's car was “full of weapons.”

This, she says, suggests that his intention was to continue the attack.

The New Zealand Prime Minister confirmed that Tarrant had a firearm licence and owned five guns.

According to her, the gun licence was obtained in November 2017 and allowed the suspect to buy the weapons used in the attack.

"The mere fact... that this individual had acquired a gun licence and acquired weapons of that range, then, obviously I think people will be seeking change and I'm committing to that," said Ardern.

New Zealand's Attorney-General David Parker went further, indicating that the government would look into the possibility of banning semi-automatic weapons.

Previous attempts to tighten gun laws in a country with a strong gun lobby and culture of hunting have failed.

A total of 48 people were also wounded in the attacks and eleven are still hospitalised in critical condition.

Ardern said financial support would be made available to those who had lost someone on whom they were financially dependent.

Authorities say two other suspects in the mass killing are in custody.

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