Legislation effectively banning military-style assault rifles, including modifications and severely limiting ELicences, was long overdue.

Now institute a workable and reliable gun ownership register - discontinued in 1983 because some chumps said it was too complicated and too hard to police and maintain.

The Thorpe Report, commissioned in 1997, should have been adopted but it proved politically inexpedient to do so. All political parties since had a duty to implement gun controls and must all take a share of the blame for the Christchurch massacre.

It's no good knee-jerking when things get to the bottom of the cliff, and politicians need to apologise.

As it was a foreign terrorist who murdered New Zealand and foreign citizens on NZ soil, why can't we simply hand the accused over to the International Court of Criminal Justice? The alternative will see us trying, convicting and keeping this murderer in prison for 50-plus years at a staggering financial cost to innocent Kiwis.

In the aftermath of Christchurch, it is alarming to see the usual suspects mounting vitriolic and scurrilous attacks on their fellow Kiwis at a time when all New Zealanders should stand united.

If good people do nothing about these race-based outbursts, then evil will flourish.

R Paterson, Mount Maunganui (abridged).