TAMPA, FLORIDA Floridians Rachel and Dave Rapkin have never been to New Zealand, but think they know enough about the country.
The language is English and it is not too cold in winter. Traffic is on the left.
Most important of all, however, is that New Zealand does not have constant mass shootings like the United States.
The Rapkins have three children that they want to raise in a safe environment. That’s why the family moves from Florida to New Zealand.
– Frankly speaking, it feels like the United States is like a ticking time bomb. We started talking about emigration a few years ago, and with each mass shooting, living here has felt more oppressive, Rachel Rapkin describes.
When a young man shot 19 elementary school children in the Uvalde school shooting a good year ago, the couple decided it was time to leave. They started moving preparations.
Record number of mass shootings
After Uvalde, the pace of shootings has only accelerated. The year 2023 is shaping up to be record-breakingly violent.
Counting mass shootings According to The Gun Violence Archive, or GVA there have been 476 mass shootings this year by the date of publication of the story. The GVA defines a mass shooting as a shooting in which four or more people die or are injured.
There were 16 separate mass shootings across the country on July 4th, Independence Day alone.
Rapkin feel that nowhere is safe anymore.
– Elementary schools, doctors’ offices, hospitals, shopping centers – it seems like shootings are happening everywhere. It seems like we’ve been lucky so far, says Dave Rapkin.
Others also have a change in mind
According to Forbes magazine, the number of Americans seeking immigration advice multiplied in the summer of 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion.
However, the U.S. Census Bureau does not track the number of emigrants, so it is difficult to estimate how many information seekers actually fulfill their wishes.
In addition, estimates of the reasons for moving are mostly guesses. After 2020, emigration flows have been influenced by, for example, the strong dollar and the work visa arrangements of various countries for employees of the digital age. Bloomberg news agency reportsthat the rising cost of housing is also driving Americans abroad.
Political reasons are still a significant factor, at least in Rapkin’s close circle. There are others in their circle of friends who are considering moving or have decided to move out of the United States.
Their close friends Grayson and Cathy Kamm were considering moving to New Zealand even before they heard about their friends the Rapkins’ move. They also want to escape mass shootings, but for now moving is not possible.
– The only thought that keeps me on my toes is thinking about probabilities. Children are dying in the US this year – someone walks into a school and shoots little children. But it’s still likely that it won’t happen to my kids. This is a horrible thought, but the only way I can think, says Grayson Kamm.
At least two of Rachel Rapkin’s acquaintances are moving out of the United States, one also to New Zealand. Like Rachel and Dave Rapkin, they work in women’s health.
Florida has significantly tightened its abortion laws since the Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion. This is driving doctors to move out of state and across the country.
The Rapkins had already decided to move before the Supreme Court decision, but it sealed the plans. Rachel Rapkin has worked as an abortion doctor and can no longer practice in Florida.
Dave Rapkin believes that many things need to change before the family even considers returning to the United States.
– It’s not that we don’t believe there is hope. But things will continue to slide for the worse before big changes happen. I just don’t think they will happen soon, he says.