New Zealand Has an N.R.A., Too. It’s Thinking About Changing Its Name.

When comparing the US to other countries, few commentators suggest that people in the US should be forced to relinquish their right to bear arms. What is confounding though, that despite the simple truth that availability begets use - almost no one suggests that the American people could choose to give up access to AR-15's and the like. It's not about points of law or ideologies - as a people, as a nation, with all it's division and challenges, American could choose the greater good.

The NRA in the US used to be a gun owners’ association. It has since been co-opted by the arms manufacturers and used to twist the Second Amendment into a profit mechanism. The US NRA has worked hard against reasonable gun laws in order to assure that there are giant loopholes that enable ‘bad guys’ to get guns. These are profitable sales for the industry. Then the NRA uses the fact that ‘bad guys’ have guns as a scare tactic to boost sales to ‘good guys,’ which assures even more profit for the industry. -Disturbed children are getting military guns and shooting other children in schools? Don’t do anything to keep disturbed children from getting guns. Just sell more guns in order to arm teachers! It won’t make school children safer, but it will be profitable for the arms industry!- It’s the age-old arms industry tactic in war, now applied domestically: encourage conflict, then sell guns to both sides.

The major difference between the American version of the NRA and the New Zealand NRA is that one of them is the PR and Lobbying Division for the Gun Manufacturing industry and one is not. Care to guess which one?

My understanding is that NRA (US) funds some pro gun activities and lobbying in both New Zealand and Australia. This may increase over the next while but it will be a waste of time and money.

I am glad that NZ banned these guns - so swiftly and without any evident debate in their parliament or engagement with public or gun owners. But let's not keep mentioning America in a negative light on gun issues. Several obvious reasons- but the main one being historical and cultural. Americans first came here as pilgrims and had to defend themselves against mother nature first and then the natives. And then came the War of independence where, absent conscription, we formed militia to defeat a then mighty empire. So, guns and ownership are ancient rights of course, enshrined in Second Amendment. NZ like Australia was a penal colony of the Brits. And if you want to be downright legalistic - they are not even independent as we think folks are supposed to be. So, glad that NZ solved this issue, their way. But as others below have pointed out, when already such strict background checks - how did this "foreigner" flew under the radar. And I think, this is really more important to investigate than a knee jerk reaction of banning weapons. Increasingly, overseas including india where I am spending winter - NZ banning guns is seen as an indictment of our society. Please, quit lecturing us intentionally orunintentionally.

L New Zealand 1Pass a background check that considers criminal, medical, mental health and domestic violence records. 2Provide character references. 3Authorities interview or advise, in person, your partner or next of kin. 4Pass a home security inspection that checks for proper firearm storage. 5Take a gun safety course. 6Wait for approval for a firearms license, which could take weeks or months. 7Buy a gun. Well, how did he pass the above checks? I read that he was a licensed gun owner who bought the five guns used in the shootings legally. Re 1, it probable should include having extremist opinions. Which might be easily detected via the Internet.

Gun ownership In the US should be a privilege, not a right, just as the framers of the second amendment intended, and restricted to those serving in a militia.

The New Zealand NRA has a much more rational and responsible attitude toward gun ownership than its American counterpart. New Zealand's NRA advocates principles of cooperative civic involvement and realistic controls on gun ownership, in sharp contrast to America's NRA which concentrates on civic and political disruption while encouraging mass violence via unfettered access via unfettered access to any type of firearm.

Decades ago, the US -based NRA was significantly more rational, even likely to support reasonable gun control. Back then, Kansas was considered one of the most progressive states in the US. It just shows that even as time, technology, and thoughts evolve, in some sectors and locations, beliefs can actually move backward.

This begs the question--So why is the New Zealand NRA different from the American NRA? Let's take a stab at that one next!

Big coincidence, but I don't think NZ has a massive firearms manufacturing industry

America’s NRA lobby is so powerful that our politicians fear losing votes if they pass meaningful gun control laws. They would rather tolerate the murder of our children in Newtown, Connecticut and Parkland, Florida. Mass shootings have become almost normal in America. We endure a paroxysm of grief and outrage but no meaningful gun control legislation is ever passed. Then we wait for the next mass shooting.

5% of NZ own guns where 14% in America do and yet there are 3 people for every gun in NZ and 1+ per person in America. America is sitting on ticking time bomb with more gun accumulation on the horizon......Hideous......

Crazy how this has become about guns and not about the hate behind the killings and what can be done about people who hate others who don’t look like them. What about a racist who uses other means to destroy?

Does new Zealand even have a constitution? The USA does and we have a Bill of Rights. ( I'm expecting the reader to be familiar with American government) That's why the NRA is not like a New Zealand gun organization. America has a second amendment with the words "shall not be infringed" included in the text. It would be illegal for an American government official to do the same as the New Zealand prime minister.

The NZ government is organized around a different model of government than the USA. Assault weapons have been and can be banned by states. The reason they are not is quite simple - people - and hence their politicians - do not want them banned. Example no. 1 is Florida - who despite students and sympathizers have not even come close. Holding the Feds responsible simply ignores the obvious - my fellow life travellers love their silly semi-automatic weapons. Just in passing - I would love if they were banned.

The difference between a right and a privilege is that a right comes with responsibilities. The NRA, as an organization, wants to keep every single person in United States Armed, that include citizens and terrorists alike. The NRA supports gun rights but takes no responsibility.

New Zealand only has a population of five million? No wonder. New York city has eight million. It's easy to administer a country with that population and easy to ban guns. They could probably ban 32 oz beverage cups too. Shucks, the Chinese in one of their cities could go on a holiday and swamp New Zealand, buying all of the beer, food and tourist souvenirs like a swarm of locusts decimating a wheat crop.

The NRA is about selling guns to every living creature on Earth with the help of the Trumplicans. Money and paranoia drive this illegal and immoral organization. Rise up America! You do not have to live under this cancerous stain on our shared country. Vote different - try something different - we've seen the status quo and it does not work.

I joined my first and only picket line--around the NRA headquarters the day after Bobby Kennedy was killed. Pathetically, they're now even more powerful than they were 50 years ago. I pray for the day they lose that power.

Because New Zealanders are sane!

I know this is my favorite comment, but it also reflects on the excellence of New Zealand's constitutional practices and constitutional creativity. The US Constitution has become, in the words of Justice Robert Jackson, a suicide pact.

To be honest NZ doesn't have the amount of criminals and crime that we have here in USA. Many honest citizens need firearms to protect their homes and places of business. I am for more back round checks and closing the Gun Show loop hole. But no bans, that horse is out of the barn. Here in Montana I would say 90% of the homes have a firearm. Very little gun crime. Very little home invasions. Just different than urban America.

Our government is simply failing its people.

Political lobbying by the NRA in the US kills students and adults by the thousands while politicians look the other way and keep their seats warm.

It iifts my spirits to know that there are sane people in a world that has gone mad! Bravo to New Zealanders and the NZ NRA! What a class act!!!