Gun Culture

Last week was the sixth anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook. I was saddened (but not shocked) to read reports of threats of more violence towards this school. It sounds like there were threats all over the United States last week, and I’m glad to be on the other side of the world, safely tucked away in a country that simply doesn’t have the same problems with gun violence and mass shootings. I don’t worry about my kids not coming home from school one day because of an active shooter. There is a very different approach to gun control in New Zealand, and it has made a subtle, but profound difference in our every day lives.

Gun owners must obtain a license. Similar to obtaining a driver’s license, anyone who wants a gun in New Zealand must be able to demonstrate that they will be a responsible owner. They have to attend a safety class and pass a written test afterwards. The police will visit the person’s home to ensure there is appropriate storage for a firearm, and the prospective licensee must provide two character references. There’s also a background check to ensure there’s no criminal, drug, psychiatric, or domestic abuse history. Once someone has a license, they don’t have to renew it per se, but it can be revoked if something happens. Also, if a gun owner moves, they must alert the police not only to the move, but how the firearms will be moved securely so nothing accidental happens while in transit.

Guns aren’t carried on police officers. With the exception of diplomatic protection officers and airport officers, police officers don’t carry firearms on them. They’re kept in the car, in a safe. Officers have to try multiple other approaches to diffusing a situation and can’t immediately rely on having a firearm. Call me crazy, but I think this is a better approach.

Most guns don’t need to be registered. The police don’t know exactly which guns anyone has, but they know who is allowed to have guns. It’s an interesting mix of government tracking and personal freedom that seems to be a comfortable middle ground.

Are people periodically shot in New Zealand? Yes. Absolutely. But the control measures in place mean that mass shootings aren’t at the forefront of parents’ minds as kids go off to school. It means that responsible people are able to obtain guns but people with a problematic history are not. There’s a level of common sense that the lobbyists in the United States have made impossible to achieve.