Gun Control

'A masterpiece of analysis of the politics of transformative change.' - Otago Daily Times

In the aftermath of the Port Arthurmassacre on 28 April 1996 when a gunman murdered 35 people andinjured another 23 at a popular Tasmanian touristattraction John Howard, a conservative prime minister who had beenin office for just six weeks, surprised his colleagues andstartled the nation by moving swiftly to transform Australia'slax firearm laws. The National Firearms Agreement, producedjust twelve days after the massacre with support from alllevels of government and across the political divide, is nowheld up around the world as amodel 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