Subject: In an election year, gun reform has become political in New Zealand and thankfully, Jacinda Ardern is losing her support Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:08 pm
Immediately after the Christchurch massacre in 2019, the New Zealand government pledged dramatic gun law changes. A year later, amid an ongoing elevated terror level, the government has quietly dropped its promises the laws will prevent future mass shootings. It has shifted instead to platitudes about never wanting to see repeats of such horror, and vague assurances about making people “feel safe”. The government aimed to have more gun laws in place before the first anniversary of the massacre, but it is unclear whether its bill – which focuses on creating a national gun register, substantially altering requirements around legal firearm ownership and making numerous other administrative reforms – will pass parliament.