Tragedy to Hope by Sarah McGovern

     On March 15, 2019 a shooter walked into two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand and murdered fifty people in prayer. The shooter in suspect, Brenton Tarrant, has been arrested and is currently facing charges. Not even 72 hours later the country had taken action and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern demanded change immediately. After a cabinet meeting it was announced that all military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles would be banned. The law will be first introduced to Parliament during the first week of April and Adrern hopes for it to go into place by April 11th. Currently, 1.2 million guns are estimated to be in circulation in New Zealand, which amounts the buyback scheme to between 100 and 200 million dollars. Citizens who legally own firearms will no longer be able to have them in their possession on their existing license conditions. The country is in a state of grief and mourning and there is much support for new gun laws and control over firearms.
   After Sandy Hook, America said never again. Since then we have had 1,988 mass shootings resulting in 2,278 deaths and 8,267 wounded. America has the largest number of deaths due to gun violence and the weakest gun laws compared to any other country. And the response is the same each time more lives are lost at the hands of mass shootings: thoughts and prayers. But thoughts and prayers do not protect the country from this happening again. "Thoughts and prayers" are used to hide the fact that America cares more about their guns than they do their own citizens. My question is: how many more men, women, and children have to lose their lives before we realize that change is not a question, it is a necessity.
    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is a model leader and one the United States desperately needs to learn from. New Zealand lost 50 lives, had one mass shooting, and a ban is already being enforced. The citizens of New Zealand did not argue that this ban is a violation of their rights because they recognize that the right to live is stronger than the right to own a weapon. This tragic event can be looked at with a sense of hope, hope that we will follow in the example of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

PM Ardern wore a hijab as a sign of respect for the lives lost in the Christchurch mosque shooting.

Memorial at the sight of the shooting.