Was in Christchurch just a couple of weeks ago - it's a 4+ hour drive from where I live (the alleged perpetrator lived 5 mins drive away on the other side of town) - the city centre was very quiet on that Wednesday afternoon. We were there to see Eddie Izzard. He commented later that evening on how quiet the city centre was when he was riding around on an electric scooter (in drag).
To say that what happened on Friday was a shock is such an understatement, but also there was a feeling of inevitability amongst those of us who are not kiwi born and bred.
Gun laws here are far too slack - once you have been vetted, you can buy virtually any number of guns. You can buy a gun at 16 after acquiring a gun licence:
To be issued with a firearms licence, the applicant must be a
fit and proper person over the age of 16. They also need to have adequate secure storage for firearms, attend a safety program administered by the Mountain Safety Council, pass a written safety test, pay the requisite fee, and supply passport-standard photographs with their application. Police also individually interview the applicant and two referees, one of whom must be a close relative and the other unrelated, to determine the applicant's suitability for a license. The applicant's residence is also visited to check for appropriate storage of firearms and ammunition and to ensure any other people living there are not a security risk. Having criminal associations or a history of
domestic violence almost always leads to a licence being refused. An application can be refused if the applicant has indicators of drug or alcohol abuse, criminal associations, a history of domestic violence, or a physical, mental health or disability issue that would prevent them possessing or using a firearm safely. Previous denied applications or revoked licences may also be cause for denial.
- A Category firearms are those that do not fall into any other category, and are the vast majority of legally-owned firearms in New Zealand, and support a surprisingly wide number of types. For example semi-automatic AR-15 style rifles are permitted in this category provided they can only hold 7 or less rounds as well as meeting the other criteria.
(from Wikipedia)
This clearly needs updating and amending.
(side issue - the alleged perpetrator was from Australia - how did he get an NZ gun licence when the applicant has to be interviewed by the police and two referees
one of whom must be a close relative and the other unrelated)?
I don't think that Fridays's events will change my desire to carry on living here, but it has certainly taken the gloss off one reason we are here.