Letters: Christchurch shooting an 'evil, suffocating, tragic event'

Tributes and flowers left at the Tauranga Mosque. Photo / Andrew Warner

To think that my family Iived in Christchurch for so many years and I was a councillor in local government for much of that time, I cannot comprehend what has happened again to our beautiful garden city.

For such evil orchestrated actions to have involved Christchurch is such an evil, suffocating, tragic event for people to endure. For so many to be shot dead in two mosques in the same city is something we all have to come to grips with.

This can never happen again and we citizens have to ensure that it doesn't. It does not matter which city we live in, that memorable quote "When good men stay silent evil prevails" is relevant. It is over to we men and women to make sure gun laws are reformed - tightened; every child should be loved and educated to ensure a fulfilling life as a global citizen; the work that our Māori wardens do to help our young should be respected and helped; immigration laws should be checked and tightened; our housing regulations must change so people can afford to live here; our homeless must be housed. We have overdue work to do.

Margaret Murray-Benge
Bethlehem

Gun laws

Why does a person need to own a semi-automatic weapon?

Why does a person need more than one gun?

Why can a person own a gun without a useful purpose?

Why does the weapon not need to be registered?

Guns kill, they are not toys to play with; if there is no clear purpose in owning one then deny the right to own, it is a privilege, not a right.

Please make sure these questions are answered urgently.

Russell Wenn
Oropi

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