<p class="title">A group of about 50 New Zealand firearm owners protested further gun reforms on Saturday, sounding a note of discord over the tightening of the country's gun laws after the mass shooting in Christchurch in March that killed 51 Muslim worshippers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's efforts on gun control have gained global praise, but at home - with a general election next scheduled for the year - she has faced resistance from the federal opposition National Party, gun lobby groups and ordinary citizens over planned legislation introduced in September.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Saturday, the group of firearms owners staged a protest at a gun buy-back event in Auckland, according to media reports, carrying placards bearing slogans including "This bill hurts ordinary Kiwis!" and "Be safe: reject arms bill".</p>.<p class="bodytext">The new legislation now moving through parliament would create a gun register and tighten vetting of owners, among other changes. In April parliament passed nearly unanimously laws curbing the use and circulation of most semi-automatic firearms.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Stuff.nz, a New Zealand news website, cited Victoria O'Brien, a national shooting champion, as saying that guns being bought back and destroyed had cultural significance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There is a desecration of New Zealand history going on – we're talking World War I, World War II guns," O'Brien was cited as saying.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We want them to stop and actually target the illegal possession of firearms," she said, urging the government to put reforms on hold.</p>
<p class="title">A group of about 50 New Zealand firearm owners protested further gun reforms on Saturday, sounding a note of discord over the tightening of the country's gun laws after the mass shooting in Christchurch in March that killed 51 Muslim worshippers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's efforts on gun control have gained global praise, but at home - with a general election next scheduled for the year - she has faced resistance from the federal opposition National Party, gun lobby groups and ordinary citizens over planned legislation introduced in September.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Saturday, the group of firearms owners staged a protest at a gun buy-back event in Auckland, according to media reports, carrying placards bearing slogans including "This bill hurts ordinary Kiwis!" and "Be safe: reject arms bill".</p>.<p class="bodytext">The new legislation now moving through parliament would create a gun register and tighten vetting of owners, among other changes. In April parliament passed nearly unanimously laws curbing the use and circulation of most semi-automatic firearms.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Stuff.nz, a New Zealand news website, cited Victoria O'Brien, a national shooting champion, as saying that guns being bought back and destroyed had cultural significance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There is a desecration of New Zealand history going on – we're talking World War I, World War II guns," O'Brien was cited as saying.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We want them to stop and actually target the illegal possession of firearms," she said, urging the government to put reforms on hold.</p>