New Zealand Bans Assault Weapons

[EgoDeath]

Neither NZ nor Oz are the US. We both lack the loopy gun culture of the US.

I'm well aware.

We do not have a  second amendment. There is no right to have a firearm. Consequently, the governments of both nations focus on protecting our citizens. Not on the non existent rights of gun owners. 

Okay. Here, gun owners DO have very real rights backed by the United States constitution.

Our attitudes tend to be along the lines that no one living in in one of our cities needs a firearm.

And you're allowed to think that.

The argument that only criminals will the have guns is  specious, I think originally from the appalling NRA.

And yet, in some cases this turns out to be exactly what happens. Chicago certainly has some strict gun-laws, though not anywhere near the strictest, despite what the NRA loves to suggest. How are things going for them in Chicago? How many Chicagoans have been killed by gun violence this year? The idea that, hey, it's just criminals killing criminals, is a nice little story to tell yourself. But how true is it?

Plus; So fucking what?  Criminals are going to come your house  to kill you? How many enemies do YOU have? Criminals are going to start shooting people in the streets? True, they do tend to shoot each other. A fact that  bothers men jot a jot or a tittle.

So, you're suggesting that someone has to have personal enemies in order to be the victim of a gun crime? I hope not, as that's complete nonsense. We see the same thing with bans on drugs... now, criminal gangs run drug sales and have almost complete control of the market.

This is the same type of thinking that says we should let the NSA listen to all of our correspondence because, Hey, if I'm not doing anything wrong, what's there to be worried about?

Australia  introduced strong gun laws after an horrendous mass shooting at Pt Arthur in 1996. Since that time, there have been no mass shootings in Australia. It has also become rare for firearms to be used in armed robbery. Weapons include ;hammers, screw drivers, knives , swords, and once, a syringe allegedly filled with HIV (it wasn't)--all have the disadvantage of being exceedingly difficult to seriously injure more than one person, unlike a firearm 

And I hope the same happens for NZ. I hope they never experience something like that again. Unfortunately, I'm not hopeful that any kind of serious ban on firearms would have the same affect in the US. That being said, we need some sort of change here, for sure. I'm not at all against the regulation of firearms or a ban on certain kinds of firearms but we need to be realistic about what is and isn't going to work.

I'm for gun control. But to think that an all-out ban is the solution is total nonsense not even worth entertaining. Luckily, I think very FEW people here in the States actually think we should ban all guns.

I am glad to see NZ reacted so quickly, but being American it makes me wonder, how many more shootings will we have until we react with the same swiftness?