If this country could stop gun violence, why can't the US?

Canberra, June 14: While the US authorities are feeling helpless to stop the increasing number of mass shootings in their territory (2015 saw nearly 400 of them while 2016 so far has seen close 140), there is one country on this planet which had successfully tackled the problem 20 years ago.

That country is Australia.

In April 1996, a 28-year-old armed man entered the Port Arthur tourist site in Tasmania and shot 35 people dead besides injuring 18 others. Reports said the killer purchased his semi-automatic assault weapon from a gun dealer despite having no licence.

John Howard, the then cricket-loving prime minister of the country then, stepped in at once to ensure that it was the last such mayhem that happened on the Australian soil.

Howard took on the gun lobby and his government introduced a gun buy-back scheme under which it purchased back and destroyed more than 7,00,000 guns that were owned by the people of the country. Howard also made the states of the country sign an agreement for nationwide gun law reforms.

Australia, which saw mutiple killings between 1984 and 1996, has not seen another similar incident till date.

If Australia can, why can't the USA?

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