The strength of support for gun control in New Zealand following the deadly mosque attacks was made clear early Tuesday, when just one out of 120 lawmakers voted against the introduction of new firearm restrictions. New Zealand lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of the controls during the first stage of a bill they hope to rush into law by the end of next week. It will ban the types of weapons a gunman used to kill 50 worshippers at two mosques. Conservative lawmaker David Seymour cast the lone vote against the bill, saying it was being rushed through parliament. “Doing it in nine days before politicians go on their Easter break is starting to look more like political theater than public safety,” he said. However, Seymour was so busy enjoying the publicity and explaining to reporters his reasons for opposing the bill that he missed another vote in which he could have tried to slow its passage through parliament. The bill would ban “military-style” semi-automatic guns and high-capacity magazines.
