Read more
'A masterpiece of analysis of the politics of transformative change.' - Otago Daily Times
In the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre on 28 April 1996 - when a gunman murdered 35 people and injured another 23 at a popular Tasmanian tourist attraction - John Howard, a conservative prime minister who had been in office for just six weeks, surprised his colleagues and startled the nation by moving swiftly to transform Australia's lax firearm laws. The National Firearms Agreement, produced just twelve days after the massacre with support from all levels of government and across the political divide, is now held up around the world as a model 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
About the author
Tom Frame has been a naval officer, Anglican Bishop to the Defence Force, a member of the Australian War Memorial Council, a theological college principal and a cattle farmer. He is a graduate of UNSW with an Honours degree and a doctorate in history. He became Professor of History at UNSW Canberra in July 2014 and was appointed Director of the Public Leadership Research Group in July 2017 with responsibility for the establishment of the Howard Library at Old Parliament House. He is the author or editor of more than 45 books, including two volumes of critical essays on the Howard Government.
Summary
In the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre of April 1996, John Howard moved swiftly to revolutionise Australia's gun control laws. Gun Control draws on interviews with those who supported and opposed the new laws, and asks whether the aftermath of the tragedy might have been a lost opportunity to achieve much more.
