Had firearms registration systems — which make gun owners more accountable for their weapons and prevent them from selling guns to criminals or lending to unlicensed friends — been fully implemented, this tragic incident would likely have been avoided. The government must speed up the implementation of registration and impose stricter restrictions on pump-action shotguns to prevent any further loss of innocent life.
Though the left may try and exploit this shocking rampage to further tighten gun control in New Zealand, the issue relevant to this tragedy is that the country's courts are too soft on crime. Reid should never have been under house arrest for assaulting his partner in 2021, let alone have been allowed to travel to and from work. If the justice system were more effective at protecting the public from violent criminals, Thursday's incident would never have occurred.