Australia’s airwaves, newspapers and websites have been dominated by the death of a Sydney woman shot by police in Minneapolis.
News of Justine Damond’s death when she was shot by a Minneapolis police officer late Saturday has stunned many in her native Australia. The shooting has also fed into Australians’ darkest fears about America’s culture of gun violence.
Tuesday’s front-page headline in Damond’s hometown Sydney newspaper summarized the reaction in blunt terms- “AMERICAN NIGHTMARE.”
America’s reluctance to strengthen its gun regulations and its seemingly endless stream of shooting deaths have long confused and concerned Australians. In 1996, Australia instituted tough gun ownership laws following a deadly mass shooting. At the time, then-Prime Minister John Howard warned Australians against following America’s lead on gun control.
