Thanks for picking up on this topic. I live in New Zealand where, since the Christchurch mosque shooting, our gun laws are even tighter than before. People still hunt, but not with semi automatic weapons. There is no sport in killing a deer or ducks with a hundred rounds fired in quick succession. There is no need for an 18 year old to have 2 semi automatic rifles and 1600 rounds. A person like that should be questioned as to their intent. I love visiting the USA and the people have always been wonderful, but I also found it intimidating to be in a cafe or somewhere and see a customer walk in with a pistol openly in a holster. I turned down the opportunity to work in the US when my kids were younger. Yes, in NZ we have mental illness, we have violence, but nationally when someone gets killed people know their names. In 2019, the year of the Christchurch mosque shooting there were 126 'intentional deaths' in New Zealand, 51 of them from the one incident. The video of the Dad who lost his daughter says it all, as a father and grandfather, my heart went out to him and the other families. Everyone in that school is going to have problems going forward. If there should be a freedom or right for anyone, it is the freedom to live and feel safe. That has to override the right to buy assault weapons.
Thank you for this nudge to take action. Processing this event, like so much else going on in this effed up world, is similar to the multi-phased processing of grief for me: denial (detaching); anger (paralysis); depression (tears and overwhelm); acceptance (call to action). I cannot in any form of conscience use the term “acceptance” when it comes to mass shootings and gun control failure, however. I’ll leave that to the politicians and NRA.
Thanks for picking up on this topic. I live in New Zealand where, since the Christchurch mosque shooting, our gun laws are even tighter than before. People still hunt, but not with semi automatic weapons. There is no sport in killing a deer or ducks with a hundred rounds fired in quick succession. There is no need for an 18 year old to have 2 semi automatic rifles and 1600 rounds. A person like that should be questioned as to their intent. I love visiting the USA and the people have always been wonderful, but I also found it intimidating to be in a cafe or somewhere and see a customer walk in with a pistol openly in a holster. I turned down the opportunity to work in the US when my kids were younger. Yes, in NZ we have mental illness, we have violence, but nationally when someone gets killed people know their names. In 2019, the year of the Christchurch mosque shooting there were 126 'intentional deaths' in New Zealand, 51 of them from the one incident. The video of the Dad who lost his daughter says it all, as a father and grandfather, my heart went out to him and the other families. Everyone in that school is going to have problems going forward. If there should be a freedom or right for anyone, it is the freedom to live and feel safe. That has to override the right to buy assault weapons.
Thank you for this nudge to take action. Processing this event, like so much else going on in this effed up world, is similar to the multi-phased processing of grief for me: denial (detaching); anger (paralysis); depression (tears and overwhelm); acceptance (call to action). I cannot in any form of conscience use the term “acceptance” when it comes to mass shootings and gun control failure, however. I’ll leave that to the politicians and NRA.