https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/15/shootings-reported-mosques-christchurch-new-zealand/?utm_term=.939527dc4701
Tragically, there
has been yet another mass shooting. 40 have been killed and 20 more injured after a mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand. Authorities have discovered that this massacre was planned out in advance by three individuals who targeted Muslims on purpose due to their radical anti-immigration views. In fact, they discovered that the three perpetrators had posted a racist manifesto as well as pictures of ammunition and weapons online before their attack.
New Zealand has gun laws that are stricter than American laws but not as strict as Australian laws. Consequently, this tragedy will probably reignite the controversial gun control debate. In fact, authorities believe that one of the perpetrators "intended to deepen strife in the United States over gun ownership and the Second Amendment."
Do you think this will get more people talking about gun-control laws in the U.S.?
Is the problem here about racism or gun control?
To address the first question, I so think this will spark debate about gun control laws, as most mass shooting tend to. This example could be used to aid the anti-gun control side as they may argue that the mass shooting still occurred even with stricter gun control laws. However, it is more likely that this situation will be used by the pro-gun control side, especially because, as stated in the article, "one of the perpetrators 'intended to deepen strife in the united states over gun ownership and the second amendment.'" In response to the second question, I believe it to be a mix of both; this incident was obviously motivated by racism, however it could have been prevented by stricter gun control laws.
ReplyDeleteI think people need to pay more attention to everyone and online media. A lot of individuals who execute gun violence in public have shown many prior signs and hints of what they are going to do and the fact that they may be a threat to the well being of others. Racism is of course a problem but its a problem that is not negotiable with the older generations because it is practically not possible to try to change someone's beliefs at that point. I think the best way to deal with racism is by making sure it dies out with the new generations by teaching it in school and raising awareness with young children. Gun-control laws have always been a controversial subject in the United States but I doubt anything drastic will happen as long as Trump is still in office because he is basically at a stalemate with congress right now. There needs to be greater actions taken when someone posts something incredible threatening online so that everyone could be aware of potential disasters in society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Grace that this event will get more people talking about gun-control laws in the U.S. As other mass shootings have led to, this will likely support the gun control group's argument of the dangers of having guns. Regarding the second question, I believe this problem is not only both about racism and gun control, but also address other issues such as religion.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that it will increase gun control discussion in the US since it took place in another country and the gun debate has been so politicized that I believe politicians aren't willing to talk about it. I think this event will spark more debates about race and gun relations within New Zealand as many stereotypes have been broken down in the aftermath. Terrorism has no ethnicity or religion because it can be perpetrated by anybody of any race or religion. Politicians should do more about both race and gun control issue, plus how they are connected in legislation.
ReplyDeleteI think that this may spark more debate on the controversy over the second amendment more than over that of racism because New Zealand has stricter laws than American, and yet this still happened. On the other hand, Australia has stricter gun regulation and I have not heard of any recent mass shootings. Still,this serves as a reminder of terrible racism still in existence of all people. I don't know how this issue will be resolved but I hope it is solved promptly.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Marc's point about paying more attention to social media and what's posted. I also believe we need to pay more attention to people's behaviors in general, including their actions and comments on social media. Gun control is crucial, and horrible mass shootings-especially with such horrible racist motivation-should and will get people talking. Unfortunately, our government has not taken the action needed to prevent further shootings, and it's upsetting that even in a country with stricter gun control laws, these horrible tragedies still occur. Paying attention to social media and taking preventative measures is crucial.
ReplyDeleteI think that this tragedy will definitely start people talking about the gun-control vs gun rights debate again since it is yet another mass shooting that could have been easily prevented with stricter gun laws. The issue of gun control has now spread to the international level and we have seen time and time again that nations with stricter gun control laws have less gun related violence. I also think that social media is having a bigger impact on this issue than ever before. As Marc and Brooke already discussed, people’s actions on social media platforms can really have a big influence on real life events and can help to resolve this issue. Especially since this incident was hinted at on social media, it only continues to emphasize the growing need for action. Additionally, I think this is both a racism and gun control problem at heart. People around the world have unfortunately still been unable to accept the fact that we all live together and we have to accept our differences and respect others for who they are. Without that hate, this crime wouldn’t have happened. But, there is also the issue of basically handing out guns to whoever wants them. Racism is the root of the hate, but loose gun control laws give that hate the chance to have a very negative and tragic impact on society.
ReplyDeleteI do think this will spark more conversation within the US yet again, as the attention in this comments section has shown. We cycle through this many times a year now: shooting, discussion, tiredness, neglect, shooting, repeat. Of course it will prompt discussion, but I doubt anything will change. "Talking" in the current political atmosphere is just barking disagreements across the isle. The problem with this event is clearly both. There is no way it can be thought about as an either or situation. Obviously more educated and respectful individuals would not have committed such an act. Raising more kind and understanding individuals is the remedy to the problem. I'm not totally familiar with New Zealand gun laws, but I know they're tighter than those in the US (certainly not "handing [them] out." That's a wildly unrealistic generalization, especially in the case of New Zealand) and didn't seem to do the members of the mosque an favors. Perhaps we should spend less time on creating or shutting down new gun legislation and dedicate some time to enforcing what we already have, in addition to patrolling social media for clues hidden in plain sight.
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ReplyDeleteThe problem here is about both racism and gun control. The perpetrators committed this heinous act out of seemingly nothing but racist intent. Their plan involved opening fire in a Mosque- the Muslim place of worship- which highlights their outright hatred of the people identifying with that religion. This level of racism has filled not only New Zealand/ Australia (an example being the Australian senator who blamed Muslims for this attack) but the rest of the globe as well, which should spark debate within America. I read that at least on of the perpetrators bought their 4-5 guns online carrying a seemingly normal license. The call for gun laws to be stricter is not only the smartest response to such a tragedy, but also a necessity to take steps to prevent this type of mass crime to happen again. In terms of whether or not this event will spark debate in America, I am sure that pro-gun activists will use New Zealand's stricter gun laws to try to prove that we don't need any stricter rules in the US. However, in my opinion, creating stricter gun laws is the only way to possible such a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteShootings have become a reality for America and globally over the past decade. Sadly, I do not think this event will cause more people to talk about gun control laws in the US because there are already so many people who are fighting for gun control and there are also many who are fighting for gun rights and yet nothing has been done. It's difficult to create a solution or some kind of compromise in between the two spectrums, but I do believe that reform is required to improve the current situation. The problem for this shooting and shootings that target a certain group is related both to racism and gun control. People can have racist thoughts and guns give them an opportunity to target the groups.
ReplyDeleteI really hope that this tragedy sparks more discussion about gun control laws here in the U.S.. Within only a few days, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promised to tighten guns laws, stating that the event has "exposed a range of weaknesses in New Zealand's gun laws" (NPR). I think that the U.S. could see New Zealand as an example because they are willing to act as fast as possible in order to secure the safety of their civilians. Shootings and an overall misuse of firearms has become a frightening reality in the U.S., and polarizations between political parties have stalled much progress from occurring in this area. I think that it is important to put aside these differences and follow countries such as New Zealand in reforming and enacting stricter gun laws to help prevent such atrocities in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think at the center of this attack was the growth of White Supremacy ideology, paired with widespread Islamophobia. Unfortunately, I don't think it will spark discussion about gun control in the United States, because many people share the viewpoint that it was just "one nut job." and they don't see a correlation to a wider issue. Of course, if the situation had been reversed and a Muslim man and shot up a church, it would've been seen as a much more widespread issue, and the integrity of all Muslims and Arabs would be put in question. Unfortunately, the white power movement does not concern the world as much as it should, as the our very president denies that it is on the rise, despite being cited as an inspiration for the attack.
ReplyDeleteAs seen by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's response to this horrific attack, New Zealand was much faster to respond to this issue with legislative proposals and solutions to the worldwide epidemic that is gun violence. In New Zealand, this tragedy has clearly inspired a necessary conversation regarding gun control and white supremacy and hate crime. However, I do not believe that this has or will impact US politics as many proponents of gun rights can make any arguments for gun control void by stating that we cannot compare New Zealand and US issues. To answer the second question, this issue is not solely related to racism or to gun ownership, but is a complex issue that relates to both topics.
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