In 2013 the US television news satire, The Daily Show, put to air a three part mini-documentary comparing US action on gun control with Australia’s. Strip away the comedy and you’re left with a story of politicians in Australia who were so incensed by the Port Arthur massacre that they put their political future on the line to push through national gun control legislation.
The Prime Minister at the time (1996), John Howard, showed courageous leadership in the face of hostile opposition from the Australian gun lobby.
I’m not a conservative voter, but I will be eternally grateful for the actions of Howard’s government of the day, along with the state Premiers who supported him.
Here are the three episodes from The Daily Show:
The Daily Show: John Oliver Investigates Gun Control in Australia – Part 1
The Daily Show: John Oliver Investigates Gun Control in Australia – Part 2
The Daily Show: John Oliver’s Australia & Gun Control’s Aftermath
For more on gun control see my earlier post: Guns make you safer? Check the evidence.
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