'New Zealand is showing America how to respond to mass shootings' via PostOpinions
By Editorial Board March 20 at 6:49 PM DAYS AFTER a gunman carried out a horrifying attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 50 people, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that she had ordered an inquiry to determine whether government agencies could have prevented the tragedy.
How did this happen? What could have been done differently? The questions are simple and obvious. They are nonetheless still striking for the contrast they show between how New Zealand and the United States respond to mass shootings. Instead of asking questions or resolving to take action as politicians in New Zealand are doing, we have come to accept as inevitable that large numbers of people will be killed every year by madmen with guns.
Such mass shootings are rare in New Zealand, as are all gun-related homicides. But the ease with which the Christchurch gunman was able to obtain an arsenal that included semiautomatic weapons was enough to convince Ms. Ardern of the need for better checks on guns. She announced her intent to tighten the country’s laws mere hours after Friday’s terrifying events.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the modest push for universal background checks for gun purchases that passed the House faces an uphill struggle in the Senate and veto threats from the White House, even though it has the support of most Americans. Once again, the U.S. political system looks feckless compared with other democracies.The Post’s View: The U.S.
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