No sooner had New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her country’s sweeping ban of so-called “assault weapons” and “military-style” firearms than did the establishment U.S. media begin a new wave of punditry about all things gun related, and the common theme is that the Kiwis do not have a constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms.

Here’s how a piece in Slate put it: “New Zealand does not have the right of gun ownership written into its constitution, which, no matter how you interpret the Second Amendment, certainly is an advantage in broad gun reform. The gun culture of New Zealand is not as steeped in its foundational myths as the gun culture of the U.S. is.”

CNN also cut to the chase, observing “The right to own a gun isn’t enshrined in New Zealand’s constitution. And the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre shows there’s a greater sense of urgency to enact national gun-control legislation in New Zealand after a mass shooting than in the United States.”

The swiftness of New Zealand’s action demonstrates the difference between living in a country where government can get away with this sort of thing, and living in a Constitutional Republic.