New Zealand was targeted in last week's mosque attacks because its gun laws paved the way for a mass attack, an Australian security expert believes. Dr John Coyne said on Tuesday that using semi-automatic weapons allowed the Christchurch shooter to create a global spectacle and promote his views. ASPI Dr John Coyne, head of the border security program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says New Zealand's gun laws allowed the mosque shooter to carry out the mass killing. READ MORE:* Rush for semi-automatic guns following Christchurch mosque shootings* Hunting & Fishing pulls 'military-style' semi-automatic firearms nationwide* In wake of Christchurch mosque shootings, how have other countries responded to gun violence? Attackers such as the mosque shooter held a narcissistic desire for notoriety as well as being driven by extremist causes, he said.

Source: Stuff March 19, 2019 07:07 UTC