How to react to senseless gun violence? In the United States, our lawmakers send “thoughts and prayers.” We have become numb to endless mass shootings. In New Zealand, the massacre at the mosque claimed more lives in one day than were killed in gun violence between 2010-2015. Here is what’s happened in New Zealand since last Friday’s massacre.
- The government has banned all automatic weapons and high capacity magazines
- Parliament opens with an Islamic prayer
- Radio NZ and TVNZ will broadcast a call to prayer
- Over $9m has been crowdsourced for victims and their families
- A petition of 70,000 names delivered to parliament calling for strong and effective gun laws
- New Zealanders began handing in their guns voluntarily
- New Zealanders plan to form symbolic human chains around mosques when they reopen
- Many NZ brands taking advertising off social media sites to protest inaction by tech companies
- Multiple people charged with sharing videos of the incident or for inciting disharmony online
- NZ government pays for the funeral costs and promises to do everything it can to approve visas for families to attend funerals
- The Prime Minister vows to never use the shooter’ name