In a few words
Our existing gun laws prohibit the ownership of military-style firearms to all but a select group of collectors of military weapons. The police were unable to decide what constituted a military-style weapon, when what they needed to look for was ammunition magazine capacity and inter-changeability. With a fixed 5-shot magazine a semi-automatic rifle is of no more use to a mass murderer than a bolt action 303. Chris Bowen, Lower Hutt
We know roughly how many dogs there are in New Zealand because there are currently 543,972 registered on the National Dog Database. We don’t know how many guns there are in NZ because they don’t have to be registered. Every dog has to be re-registered every year. A gun would have to be registered only once in its lifetime. How hard can that be? M L Matthews, Palmerston North
The Government has announced a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack. Look, I’m sorry about Christchurch – it was a hell of an afternoon for them – but we have an equally devastating problem called domestic violence which is a scourge by double and a daily occurrence. I don’t understand how such an awful problem continues to exist here but it does. I don’t see royal commissions or even major media coverage on that. If the Government cannot resolve domestic violence, how can it resolve the terror issue?
Andrew Shirtcliffe, Auckland
Just curious, why are the four Kiwi supremacist guys in this morning’s Dominion Post covering their faces? Are they cowards? If you stand for something, show who you are so we can see you!
Zeb Nicklin, Palmerston North
Jacinda Ardern’s pleas for tolerance and inclusiveness seem somewhat disingenuous, as it is now revealed that her department, in Stasi style, ‘‘behind the bike sheds’’ has pressured some Muslims to spy on their fellow members. Keith Jefferies, Raumati South
I am mystified as to why Whitcoulls has stopped selling Jordan Peterson’s book 12 Rules for Life (March 25, 2019). Has the person at Whitcoulls who decided this, or reporter Susan Edmunds or Jess Berentson-Shaw, who was quoted, actually read it or watched any of his many hours of lectures online? As I see it, he promulgates the idea that people should take responsibility for their own actions and not lie, cheat or steal (if these are Judeo- Christian ideals then so be it). Life is hard and it is in your best interest to be the best you can be. Paula Yeates, Napier