New Zealand banned all military-style semi-automatic guns and assault rifles less than a week after the deadly mosque terror attacks—and Bernie Sanders says the United States must follow that lead. The presidential hopeful said the U.S. should ban assault rifles by taking on the National Rifle Association. “This is what real action to stop gun violence looks like,” said Sanders, quoting a report on New Zealand's ban. “We must follow New Zealand's lead, take on the NRA and ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons in the United States.” The gun lobby quickly rejected the call. NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch said there was no need to change the law here, responding: “First, define ‘assault weapon.’ Words are important and certain laws come into play depending on which words are used, so define this. Secondly, the U.S. isn’t NZ. While they do not have an inalienable right to bear arms and to self defense, we do.” Fifty people died in the mosque shootings in Christchurch last Friday.
