I read an article about the Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania
Australia. It happened almost 23 years
ago when a man (who was 28 years old) used a semi-automatic rifle to kill 35
people in a café. He also wounded 23. It was the biggest mass shooting in
Australian history.
Right after the shooting, the Australian government
introduced laws to help make sure this didn’t happen again. One law made it
illegal to have automatic, semi-automatic, and pump action shotguns and rifles.
Another law helped Australian government regulate gun imports into their
country. They also added a law that makes a person who wants to buy a gun need
to have a firearm license. With all of these laws, Australian government also
had a buyback program where over 640,000 weapons were turned in to authorities
in Australia. These were all in an effort to prevent another mass shooting.
Australia had mass shootings before the Port Arthur massacre, but that one was
so shocking that the entire country decided the gun laws needed to be changed.
And guess what? They haven’t had a mass shooting since. Not one in 23 years since they changed their
gun laws. Also in Australia, the homicide gun related deaths drop an average of
7.5% each year since the laws were made stricter.
The article mentioned that the Australian government had to
fight conservatives and people who worried about having gun rights to be able
to change the laws. It was not easy for them. I think that is the problem that
America is facing right now. Since the laws were changed though, 85-90% of Australian
voters say they like the gun laws and actually want the restrictions to be even
tighter.
President Bill Clinton was president during the Australian
massacre, and he tried to introduce a law similar to one of the Australian laws
that were passed. When George Bush came into be president, he pretty much
banished any laws about gun control. Barack Obama, when he was president,
talked about the Australian massacre and the gun laws that were passed after.
He really wanted change and brought up what Australia was able to do after the
Charleston shooting here in the U.S.
But nothing has changed.
Nothing. There’s got to be a way that America can try and get the big
guns turned in, or tighten some of the laws we have around guns. I wonder if
America would think about following Australia’s path and make some laws that
will keep guns away from the wrong people. Hopefully laws like this will be
introduced soon. Our death by gun rates
are definitely not going down.
Do you agree with what Australia did?
Do you think this would work for America?
Do you remember hearing about the Port Arthur Massacre?
Do you have any ideas of laws that might work for our
country?
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment below!
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