Gun control debate: U.S. gun control advocates see "heartbreaking" lack of action as As New Zealand eyes military-style weapons ban

Washington — When a gunman stormed two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and killed 50 people[1], Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promptly announced she would push for a national ban[2] on military-style semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.  The stark contrast between the rapid action in New Zealand and the lack of federal gun control measures in the U.S. despite multiple mass shootings in recent years was not lost on Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the staunchest advocates for stricter gun laws in Congress. "It's not just discouraging — it's heartbreaking," Murphy told CBS News. "This is one of those life or death issues. By not keeping these dangerous military-style weapons off the streets, we're choosing to endorse mass murder. I mean, I know that sounds harsh, but I believe it."Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, which has become one of the most prominent and well-funded[3] gun control advocacy groups in the country, expressed similar frustration. "It's disgusting. And it makes me angry, and I believe it makes our hundreds of thousands of volunteers angry as well," she told CBS News. "Shame on us for not behaving the way a normal, civilized nation would after a horrific shooting tragedy," added Watts, who founded the organization in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, in which a gunman used a semiautomatic assault rifle to kill 26 students and staff at a Connecticut elementary school in 2012. Why it's easier to enact strict gun laws outside the U.S.Murphy acknowledged several crucial differences between the political dynamics in the U.S. and New Zealand. For one, New Zealand's parliamentary system of government concentrates greater power with the prime minister, who is selected from the majority party in the legislature, making it easier to get laws passed. Under the U.S. system, the executive and legislative branches are

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