In the aftermath of the Port Arthur
massacre on 28 April 1996 – when a gunman murdered 35 people and
injured another 23 at a popular Tasmanian tourist
attraction – John Howard, a conservative prime minister who had been
in office for just six weeks, surprised his colleagues and
startled the nation by moving swiftly to transform Australia’s
lax firearm laws. The National Firearms Agreement, produced
just twelve days after the massacre with support from all
levels of government and across the political divide, is now
held up around the world as a
model for gun control.
Gun Control analyses whether the Australian Government achieved its intention and what it might have done in response to the massacre, and didn’t.
‘Anyone interested in learning how a democratic nation reduced senseless gun deaths needs to read this.’ — Jeffrey Bleich, former US Ambassador to Australia
