News Roundup

A stunning and tragic mass shooting in New Zealand late last week is one of the biggest international criminal law news stories in recent memory.  Last Friday, an Australian man motivated by racism killed 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch.  In a disturbing use of modern technology, the attack was streamed live to Facebook from a camera the gunman wore on a helmet.  News reports say that the man was active on right-wing white nationalist internet forums, and that he posted a lengthy manifesto to one such forum just before the attack.  In that document, he reportedly said that in addition to stoking racial discord, one of his goals was to further divide Americans on the controversial issue of gun laws.  Keep reading for more news. New Zealand to Ban Assault Weapons.  As has been the case in the majority of recent mass shootings in the United States, the gunman in New Zealand used a military-style assault rifle during his attack.  Just six days after the attack, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country will ban all military-style semiautomatic weapons, all high capacity magazines, and all parts that can be used to modify a weapon into a style covered by the ban.  It appears that the ban will be passed into law because it has broad support in the country’s parliament. Bump Stocks.  Nearly a year and a half has passed since the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, where 58 people were killed and more [...]