What happened?:
On March 15th, 2019, a terrible unforgettable event took place. Dozens of men, women, and children lost their lives due to a mass shooter. These men and women were praying at a mosque (Muslim place of worship) when the shooting took place. Fifty people died. Not one but two mosques were shot at. The shooter was a 28-year-old Australian man who was linked to being a white supremacist. He live streamed the shooting on Facebook. And then the police ran his car into a curb before, he was arrested.
"Al Noor Mosque, Gamal Fouda, delivered a sermon at the Christchurch memorial, saying that he "saw hatred and rage in the eyes of the terrorist who killed and martyred fifty innocent people, wounded 42, and broke the hearts of millions around the world."
What is New Zealand now doing since the attack?
New Zealand now is asking its civilians to voluntarily hand over their guns since, the attack. Over a thousand people have already handed over their guns. In just 6 days, New Zealand's government has already made assault rifles and military semi-automatics illegal. The New Zealand cabinet will put in place a buyback plan for the guns. The shooter legally bought the semi-automatic weapon and he added 30-plus rounds to the gun. "On March 15, the nation witnessed a terrorist attack that demonstrated the weakness of New Zealand's gun laws...The guns used in this attack had the power to shoot continuously. The times for the easy availability of these weapons must end. And today, they will" Jacinda Arden.
Comparison of America to New Zealand:
America was ranked 30th for the most violent country compared to New Zealand ranked at 50th. New Zealand's rate of murder with firearms is ranked 39th and America's is ranked 10th. New Zealand has a population of 4.794 million compared to America's 327.2 million (To address the other side, this could be one of the reasons America have more gun violence) America has a 4 times high rate of gun violence than New Zealand. In just six days New Zealand has already enacted stricter gun laws. In America, we have yet to make any immediate executive action on gun violence.
https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/New-Zealand/United-States/Crime
https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/New-Zealand/United-States/Crime
Reflection Paragraph
The question is not whether if America can learn something from New Zealand but, will America do something about the knowledge they learned? Gun control and Gun laws have been a hot topic since the recent rise of gun-related incidents. Even in my own family, we have various opinions about what to do about gun laws. My grandfather believes that we shouldn't have more gun regulations because a gun never "got up and shot someone itself". My grandma is pro-gun regulation and their opposing opinions has created some friction between the two. My dad is a Republican so he believes in less gun regulated laws but, since I'm a liberal we always get into heated debates over gun control. On the other side of my family, my aunt is a bleeding heart republican who is very adamant about her political views. Her daughter and herself always get into arguments over their political views.
I'm going to be a 100% honest, I have no clue on what to do regarding gun control laws. I'm leaning towards a more liberal side but, their's nothing we can do where ALL American people will be pleased. If we look at Australia, they had a mass shooting in the early '80s or '90s. Once it happened they completely banned all guns and they haven't had another mass shooting since. But, on the other side, some people would use the example of the church shooting. A man was shooting a church and another legal carrying gun owner shot him before he killed more people.
Since the mosque shooting some American's want the US to model after what New Zealand is doing. They are angry over how America has had hundreds of mass shootings and yet they haven't done as much as New Zealand. Since gun control is such a heated topic, I honestly have no clue what direction America will go towards. What I hope for it, that America finds a solution quick because hundreds of innocent people are dying due to mass shootings.
BY: Laramie Kipp
I'm going to be a 100% honest, I have no clue on what to do regarding gun control laws. I'm leaning towards a more liberal side but, their's nothing we can do where ALL American people will be pleased. If we look at Australia, they had a mass shooting in the early '80s or '90s. Once it happened they completely banned all guns and they haven't had another mass shooting since. But, on the other side, some people would use the example of the church shooting. A man was shooting a church and another legal carrying gun owner shot him before he killed more people.
Since the mosque shooting some American's want the US to model after what New Zealand is doing. They are angry over how America has had hundreds of mass shootings and yet they haven't done as much as New Zealand. Since gun control is such a heated topic, I honestly have no clue what direction America will go towards. What I hope for it, that America finds a solution quick because hundreds of innocent people are dying due to mass shootings.
BY: Laramie Kipp
Nice writing.
ReplyDeleteThis was horrific and heartbreaking. I like how you set this up and brought your own opinion into it and writing about your family proves that there are so many opinions on this topic. I wish I knew the solution, too.
ReplyDelete