Residents of New Zealand have returned more than 10,000 firearms to the government in less than a month as part of a buyback program put into effect after the Christchurch mosque massacre, the Guardian reported.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government set aside about $100 million to purchase the guns when it pushed through legislation in April to ban military-style semi-automatic weapons.

The bill passed after the March 15 shootings at two Christchurch mosques that killed 51 people.

“I could not fathom how weapons that could cause such destruction and large-scale death could be obtained legally in this country,” Ardern said at the time.

“I struggle to recall any single gunshot wounds. In every case they [victims] spoke of multiple injuries, multiple debilitating injuries that deemed it impossible for them to recover in days, let alone weeks. They will carry disabilities for a lifetime, and that’s before you consider the psychological impact. We are here for them.”

The buyback program launched in mid-July. A total of 10,242 firearms have been handed in to police, the newspaper said.