In 1996, Australia enacted gun control measures. There have been no mass shootings since.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The worse mass murder in Australian history happened on April 28, 1996, when a gunman killed 35 and wounded 23 in a Tasmanian seaside resort.
The conservative Prime Minister John Howard responded with gun control legislation and a mass buyback of about one-fifth of all the firearms in circulation in Australia.
As The Washington Post points out, it worked: "Howard cites a study by Andrew Leigh of Australian National University and Christine Neill of Wilfrid Laurier University finding that the firearm homicide rate fell by 59 per cent, and the firearm suicide rate fell by 65 per cent, in the decade after the law was introduced, without a parallel increase in non-firearm homicides and suicides."
In the wake of the Aurora shootings, Howard visited America and, on his return, remained convinced of the efficacy of gun control. He wrote a comment piece for Australian newspaper The Age titled "Brothers in arms, yes, but the US needs to get rid of its guns"
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments