Jo Raphael: Robb Elementary School shooting should be the end of it

Candles are lit at dawn at a memorial site in the town square for the victims killed during the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Photo / AP

OPINION

We're facing some serious problems as a country.

Not least of which is the pandemic, which just seems to be never-ending.

The Ministry of Health reported nine deaths yesterday . There were 13 on Saturday.

We're also facing pain at the pumps and the checkouts.

On Friday target="_blank">we reported people are sacrificing food and jobs while others are taking out KiwiSaver hardship grants just to be able to get by.

Yet as much pain we are going through - Covid, inflation, the cost of living and homelessness - I have to look once again through Pollyanna glasses.

We're lucky to live here.

I'm glad that I don't live in the US - it's got some real problems.

Its citizens are suffering under its current political climate, none more so than the community and families of 19 schoolchildren and two of their teachers who were gunned down at Robb Elementary School last week.

Immediately the tragedy has been politicised - rather than the Government acting as one, both parties have planted their feet and refused to budge on their stance.

Right-wing politicians, some of whom have the backing of powerful lobby groups such as the National Rifle Association, have made outrageous suggestions to stop this tragedy from happening again.

Texas senator Ted Cruz wants fewer doors (because, apparently, the gunman entered the school through an unlocked door), while Donald Trump, incredulously, wants more guns.

Texas governor Greg Abbott signed several bills into law allowing Texans to easily buy weapons. Texas must have some of the most relaxed gun laws in that country and its response to each shooting? Relax them even further.

Polls consistently show high support for gun background checks, according to the PolitiFact website, so why can't the politicians listen to the people, the grieving mums and dads?

It must feel like they're screaming into a void.

There have been 27 school shootings in the US so far this year. Last year, there were 693 mass shootings. What more do these politicians need?

After the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting where 50 people were killed, New Zealand immediately reacted to ban military-style semiautomatic weapons.

We're lucky to have a government that is progressive and united enough to be able to make the difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions.

While the law is not perfect and ultimately will not keep weapons out of the hands of those determined to get hold of them, it should make it a lot more difficult.

It also signals that our leaders are at least willing to listen to the people and do something about it.