Stuart Bender of Curtin University in Perth noted that the use of live video as an integral part of the attacks " makes them a form of ' performance crime ' where the act of video recording and/or streaming the violence by the perpetrator is a central component of the violence itself , rather than being incidental . " Just before carrying out the attacks , the gunman said to-camera , " Remember lads , subscribe to PewDiePie " , referring to the most subscribed YouTuber at the time , Felix Kjellberg , who goes by the alias PewDiePie . The apparent intent , as with the manifesto , was to spread news of the attacks — in this case to Kjellberg 's followers , who number in the tens of millions . Kjellberg later called for the phrase to be discontinued . In response , Kjellberg tweeted , " Just heard news of the devastating reports from New Zealand Christchurch . I feel absolutely sickened having my name uttered by this person . My heart and thoughts go out to the victims , families and everyone affected by this tragedy . " Gun laws in New Zealand came under scrutiny in the aftermath , specifically the legality of military-style semi-automatic rifles compared to Australia , which banned them after the Port Arthur massacre , in 1996 . In 2018 , for example , it was reported that of the 1.5 million registered firearms in New Zealand , 15,000 were semi-automatic weapons . As Philip Alpers of GunPolicy.org noted , " New Zealand is almost alone with the United States in not registering 96 percent of its firearms ... one can assume that the ease of obtaining these firearms may have been a factor in his decision to commit the crime in Christchurch . " Cabinet , however , remains undecided on the creation of a register
Port Arthur massacre
Port Arthur massacre (Australia)
Christchurch mosque shootings