To anyone who has been to Christchurch, New Zealand, or even seen images of it, the thought of this historic and picturesque city devastated by a pair of earthquakes in 2010-11 was horrifying enough.

The latest tragedy was felt by many to be an even more earth-shattering event for a peaceful community. Initial investigation, in fact, has indicated that the suspects targeted the area expressly because of its reputation as being a safe place. That would allow Friday’s bloody attack on two mosques, with dozens among the dead, to be carried out under the radar. That fact makes this hit even more darkly inhumane.

“You may have chosen us,” said Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, “but we utterly reject and condemn you.”

Ardern has vowed that the nation’s gun laws would change. The former PM, Helen Clark, has been quoted as saying the parliament also was likely to legislate access to guns, noting that the shooter had amassed considerable armaments.

In New Zealand, all gun owners must have a license, but most individual weapons don’t have to be registered. That’s one area ripe for change.

More broadly, the incident will train the critics’ spotlight back on companies such as Facebook, given that livestreaming and video was made available online.

In the U.S., lawmakers have become barely responsive to relentless mass shootings, but leaders of other countries may feel moved to act. In a world bridged by social media, no corner of the globe is immune to terrorism.