How did the Christchurch terrorist get a gun licence?

Tuesday, 8 October 2024

These are the 51 people killed in the mosque terror attack in Christchurch on March 15, 2019.

A hearing to uncover how the Christchurch mosque terrorist obtained his gun licence and used legal loopholes to murder 51 people will begin today.

On Friday, March 15, 2019, the terrorist, Brenton Tarrant, walked into two Christchurch mosques armed with military-style semi-automatic firearms and opened fire. He killed 51 people and injured dozens more.

The terrorist carried multiple semi automatic rifles and shotguns, some of which he modified using large capacity magazines to create his lethal weapons.

The Christchurch Masjidain Attack Coronial Inquiry, led by deputy chief coroner Brigitte Windley, will investigate ithe sequence of events from when the terrorist lodged his application for a firearms licence in 2017 to the moment he shot his victims.

Christchurch Masjidain Attack Coronial hearings deputy chief coroner Brigitte Windley.

Nearly a month has been set aside for the inquest to delve into the actions of those involved in the terrorist’s gun licence, questioning at every turn how each decision may have contributed to the deaths of husbands, fathers, mothers, wives, friends, daughters and sons.

The inquiry will hear from the people who supported his application, those who approved his application, and examine whether those who lost their lives in the attacks could have survived if the loophole he used to create his weapons had been closed.

Witnesses will include his gaming friend and their parent who were referees in support of his gun licence application.

The inquiry will examine the police process to determine if the terrorist was a “fit and proper person” to carry a licence. It will also look at whether the questions asked of his referees were designed to uncover extremist political and racist beliefs.

Witnesses will discuss the military style semi-automatic loophole that was in the firearms act, and how that contributed to the attacks.

The inquiry will also investigate hypothetical scenarios, questioning if lives could have been saved if the police had rejected the gaming friend’s parent as a referee, and if the terrorist’s sister was approved as a referee.

The inquest has held two hearings under the first phase of the inquiry focused on the response by emergency services on the day of the shooting and the failure of Masjid-an-Nur’s emergency exit door to open.