Marked by the Port Arthur massacre, Australia has severely limited gun violence

After the reform passed in 1996 in Australia, between 650,000 and 1 million firearms were recovered, ie between a quarter and a third of the weapons then in circulation.

(Illustrative image) AFP PHOTO/ Yuri Cortez

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

When it comes to gun control, a country that is regularly cited as an example is Australia.

In 1996, the country was marked by the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, a mass killing in which 35 people were killed.

The drama will push the government, then led by the conservative John Howard, to reform in depth the legislation on firearms and the implementation of a program of repurchase of weapon.

Measures that have significantly reduced gun violence.

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With our correspondent in Sydney

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When he passed his reform in 1996, former Prime Minister John Howard, far from being able to count on unanimous support, began to wear a bulletproof vest.

Only a few weeks after the Port Arthur massacre, he banned automatic and semi-automatic weapons, subjected their sale and purchase to strict controls and, above all, set up a firearms buy-back program.

In this way, between 650,000 and 1 million firearms were recovered, that is, between a quarter and a third of the weapons then in circulation.

A reduction also in the number of gun owners

The number of firearm deaths was already in structural decline in

, but it fell drastically after the adoption of these laws: - 42% for homicides, and - 57% for suicides, seven years after the implementation of this reform, which also led to a massive reduction in the number of gun owners.

Only one shooting with four victims has been recorded since 1996. There was one every eighteen months before the Port Arthur massacre.

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