49 worshippers dead in NZ

DemonAV

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Woke up to this awful news. Absolute carnage in Christchurch with 49 dead. Having lived for a time in NZ I can't believe that this would happen in this beautiful, friendly, happy & peaceful nation.
Terrorism no matter what faith/colour is behind it is an attack on all of us.
RIP to all the dead.
Shocking.
 
The atmosphere here is horrible from this. Christchurch has suffered enough and was finally getting back to some semblance of order since the earthquakes only to have this happen. I've never felt unsafe in this city until today. The population is small enough that everyone will know someone impacted by these events and that makes this feel so much more personal to everyone here. This isn't the first time I've been in a city being targeted by terror but it somehow feels so much worse than other incidents. Luckily I drove to work today as I usually cycle past the Deans Avenue mosque to get to and from work which was the worse of the two.

However I can't fault the response, it's a small city but they were on this and shut it down quickly and efficiently. The police have been scrutinized a lot recently for pursuits after teenagers joy riding were killed in one but they did what they had to do to stop these guys today. For a city that's never had this sort of incident the response was quick, everyone was in lock down immediately and they reduced the casualties as much as I believe they could once they got the calls.

It's been interesting seeing it unfold, the news reporters, police and politicians are very clearly shaken or angry at what's happened, it's a response I don't think I've seen in coverage like this before. Kiwis are so proud of their country being a safe haven where this sort of thing just doesn't happen so it's a huge blow not just to Christchurch but the whole country. I'm sure the country will stand strong against it and rally as best as they can, as horrible as today has been they are still proud to be New Zealanders and I've no plans on abandoning this place soon.

Kia Kaha (stay strong) New Zealand
 
I always assumed NZ gun laws were as strict as ours and wondered how the shooter got hold of weapons that could kill so many. The PM has made a swift statement saying the law will change - is there a NZ gun lobby? Will there be any push back?
 
I always assumed NZ gun laws were as strict as ours and wondered how the shooter got hold of weapons that could kill so many. The PM has made a swift statement saying the law will change - is there a NZ gun lobby? Will there be any push back?
I don't think there's a lobby, definitely not on the scale of the NRA. Hunting is a big sport here so they are available and I'd imagine hunters and farmers will request guns be available. I can understand the want for a gun for hunting I just can't fathom who needs semi automatic weapons, if you need to fire a hundred rounds a minute to hit something, maybe hunting isn't the sport for you, it's barely a sport firing that many rounds at a defenceless animal.

I think the laws will definitely be looked at, the key areas the news is mentioning are weapons don't need to be registered, people can own as many as they like and that you have to be 18 to own a semi automatic. I don't think anyone would complain after yesterday if they make them register guns, limit the number of them and out right ban semi automatics.
 
So sense will prevail. Unlike the twisted discourse in America.
 
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Ruby Jones (@rubyalicerose) • Instagram photos and videos


Outside Manchester mosque

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I'm really surprised how quite it is in here.

I'm sure we all remember there was another tragedy towards the end of last year in Vegas where 50 souls lost their lives. It generated 16 pages of great discussion with over 8000 views.

Yet this equally terrible tragedy hasn't even generated 10 comments.

Why?
 
I'm really surprised how quite it is in here.

I'm sure we all remember there was another tragedy towards the end of last year in Vegas where 50 souls lost their lives. It generated 16 pages of great discussion with over 8000 views.

Yet this equally terrible tragedy hasn't even generated 10 comments.

Why?

it was already posted in the politics section. it kind of got out of hand, so maybe it's for the best.
 
Oh I see. I don't frequent the politics section so that would explain why there's so few posts here.

I'll probably end up going over there to take a look but what caused it to get out of hand?

Cheers
 
50 now. Only just heard on the radio and reading about it now.

I don't see why it has to be in the politics section at all, it is far more suited to general discussion.

And I wouldn't ever visit the politics section anyway, you could imagine the kind of toxic chat in there.
 
50 now. Only just heard on the radio and reading about it now.

I don't see why it has to be in the politics section at all, it is far more suited to general discussion.

And I wouldn't ever visit the politics section anyway, you could imagine the kind of toxic chat in there.

I don't disagree with you.
 
I don't see why it has to be in the politics section at all, it is far more suited to general discussion.

And I wouldn't ever visit the politics section anyway, you could imagine the kind of toxic chat in there.

It depends if you're interested in delving into the reasons why such a horrific attack took place or interested in expressing your horror of the aftermath.

I find @everett_psycho comments informative.
 
It depends if you're interested in delving into the reasons why such a horrific attack took place or interested in expressing your horror of the aftermath.

But you can do that anywhere. What room you do it in shouldn't matter.
 
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.
 
I always assumed NZ gun laws were as strict as ours and wondered how the shooter got hold of weapons that could kill so many. The PM has made a swift statement saying the law will change - is there a NZ gun lobby? Will there be any push back?

There is a gun lobby - some say it is funded by the NRA in America, but I suspect that the truth is closer that there are (local) self-interest groups doing most of the financing etc.
There will be push-back from those that already have weapons that are in excess of what you need to control rabbits on a farm, but I would hope that the current Government will be able to get effective legislation through to outlaw all but the most basic guns.
A response in a Hungerford / Dunblane style will probably be seen here to be over the top, but we can but hope.
 

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