Good news 3: Australia conquers gun violence

Nearly 20 years ago, Australia experienced one of the worst mass shootings ever, the Port Arthur Massacre:   35 dead and 23 injured.   The killer was a 28 year old man with a low IQ, who had two semi-automatic rifles he had bought from a dealer with no license.   People said "Never again," and they meant it.

It changed Australia.   Parliament passed laws that banned semi-automatic weapons and imposed rigid licensing.   The government bought back and destroyed nearly 1 million guns that had been ruled illegal.  All firearms must be registered to a licensed owner;  getting a license requires background checks that can take months.   There are strict gun storage requirements.

It's true that there are still some illegal guns and occasional shootings.   But, in the decade following the new law's implementation, the firearm homicide rate fell by 59% and the firearm suicide rate fell by 65%, without a concomitant increase in other forms of suicide.   And there has not been a single mass shooting in that decade.

Ralph