We need to follow a public health approach and prevent people from harm. That means disarming both the public and the police, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira. Last week, a petition was delivered to parliament calling for harsher and more punitive approaches to individuals convicted of killing a police officer. The petition was initiated by Diane … Read more
The ban and buyback passed by a united parliament in the wake of the Christchurch massacre will achieve little in the long term unless accompanied by modernised gun regulation, writes Hera Cook. New Zealanders register their cars, they register their dogs. Why should they not register guns, which are designed to kill? Guns are uniquely … Read more
Reform needs to address firearm issues beyond those directly related to the Christchurch terrorist’s approach, and loopholes must be closed, writes William L. Much needed change is coming. Firearms laws are tightening and far right extremists will be monitored as the danger they have been all along. The specifics of new legislation are not yet … Read more
Tim Ashton was one of the police officers who shot dead Aramoana gunman David Gray. The Christchurch mosque shooting has hardened his resolve to effect meaningful gun control reform. Until 10 days ago the 1990 Aramoana tragedy in which 13 innocent people died was New Zealand’s worst mass shooting. Tim Ashton was one of the … Read more
Will a large scale gun buyback and subsequent arms control help prevent future massacres? We can look to Australia for inspiration, writes University of South Australia professor Rick Sarre. As she foreshadowed in the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre last Friday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just announced a ban in that country on … Read more
The government’s language so far is imprecise and it must word its ban carefully to stand up against a ferocious lobby from pro-gun groups. New Zealand lawmakers will need to write the law banning semi-automatic weapons so that it can’t be defeated, a gun safety expert says. In the wake of the Christchurch shootings the … Read more
Australia has had no mass shootings since the 1996 massacre in Tasmania. Not one. New Zealand has much to learn from Australian gun laws, an expert says. US late night talk show host John Oliver took a short break from poking fun at New Zealand this week to praise the country for its collective strength … Read more
As New Zealand grapples with the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shooting anger is growing over the ‘gaps, omissions and errors’ in our gun laws. In a day of extraordinary contrasts on Monday, the prime minister this afternoon said gun law reform would urgently pursued, while the man who sold weapons to the man charged with … Read more
Welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Vigils held around country to mourn the victims of Christchurch mosque attacks, Muslim community speaks out about years of Islamophobia, and gun laws look set to change. The terrorist attack against two Christchurch mosques has sparked mourning throughout the country. The attack against the city’s Muslim community has caused … Read more
Most gun owners in NZ are law abiding, safety conscious people. But laws that are easy to bypass enabled the appalling tragedy of the Christchurch mosque shootings. A firearm owner writes. New Zealand has long been a country associated with firearms. From our history as a rugged wild paradise where life was focused on hunting … Read more
The recent controversy over the arming of Christchurch police prompted Amanda Thompson to remember the time she was confronted by the United States’ unapologetic gun culture. I’ve never understood guns; I’ve never even understood the need to hold a gun. I don’t want any more of them around than the bare necessity. I’m as keen … Read more
Holding up a fish in your Tinder profile is one thing, but what about firearms? Hannah Reid finds concerning meaning behind the dating profile trend. Yet another mass shooting in the United States. More conversations about how lucky we are to live in New Zealand, with our Arms Act 1983 and no pesky second amendment … Read more
Treating the types of conditions and injuries which present in this era requires doctors to become advocates as well as healers, writes Dr Jin Russell. Last Thursday, the National Rifle Association (NRA) posted a deeply provocative and surprisingly idiotic tweet about doctors in the United States. This move was a retaliation against an email from … Read more