Australia has eliminated mass shootings — here's what the US can learn

pulse

February 24, 2018 4:15 PM

Australia has not had a mass shooting since 1996, the same year the country passed sweeping regulations on civilian access to guns.

After alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, public calls for stricter gun laws are becoming louder in the United States.
Australia has not witnessed a mass shooting since 1996 — the same year the country passed a sweeping set of gun regulations.
Researchers say similar policies could work in the US, especially if laws were instituted at the national level.

Australia has not had a mass shooting since 1996.

Meanwhile, the United States has suffered 91 mass shootings (since that year.

The latest shooting — when Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida — has renewed a national debate around stricter gun regulation.

We might look to other countries to see whether tighter gun laws can be successful. That is the case in Australia, where the government passed the National Firearm Agreement (NFA), a sweeping set of gun regulations, in 1996. According to the most recent data available — from 1996 to 2015 — the annual number of gun-related homicides decreased from 516 to 211.

Before 1996, the country had seen 14 mass shootings, but one particularly horrific spree led to gun reform. In April 1996 — in the worst mass murder in Australia's history — gunman Martin Bryant killed 35 people and injured 24 others atTwelve days later, the government instituted the NFA, which includes three main provisions: tight control on

"If it's hard to buy guns legally, in crimes driven by passion as opposed to preplanned acts, [the regulation] would have a larger effect," said. "If I want to commit a mass shooting and I come to the store to buy a gun, but I'm told I have to wait 28 days, I might change my mind completely."

Unlike American gun regulations, the NFA also applies to every Australian state. Prospective gun owners must obtain a permit and license, be at least 18, undergo a firearms safety training, provide a "genuine reason" for buying a gun other than personal protection, and provide documentation about storage arrangements for their weapon.