Claire Trevett: Gun debate pits Second Amendment against Second Breakfast

COMMENT: Slowly, slowly there have been signs New Zealand is emerging from the initial shock of the mosque terror attacks. Wellingtonians have started moaning about their buses again, Victoria University was still banging on about its name change, Aucklanders were stuck in traffic, the Prime Minister was finally going to China. But perhaps the surest sign came in the return of a sense of humour. New Zealanders use humour to deal with all manner of things and in this case it proved a worthy weapon against the pro-gun lobby in the US. It popped its head up after gun lovers in the United States noticed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had actually gone ahead with her promise to reform gun laws rather than just make noises which faded away. Few things better illustrate the chasm in the cultures of the two countries than this debate. Politicians are usually long-winded but two in this case showed how powerful a few wisely chosen words can be. The first was National MP Chris Bishop, who responded to Australian Senator Fraser Anning's take on the mosque attacks with just two words: "F*** off." The second was National MP Judith Collins who responded to suggestions the US gun lobby National Rifle Association might get involved in the debate in New Zealand with another two words: "Bugger off." Other New Zealanders on Twitter also chose to puncture points made by gun fans in the US with humour. Police Minister Stuart Nash will oversee the gun reforms wanted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Mark Mitchell There was much debate about the Second Amendment - that part of the US Constitution that allows its citizens to bear arms. One person responded the Second Amendment in New Zealand was "togs, togs, togs, undies". Others said that in

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