The massacre in Port Arthur in Tasmania on 28 April 1996 was the
impetus for the Howard government to pass laws to restrict the
ownership of firearms in Australia.
But the tension between the ability to own firearms and the
control of firearms for community safety purposes remains –
and is perhaps one of the most polarising issues in the nation to
this day.
On the one hand, firearm licence holders – as well as
those who seek
firearm licences and permits – typically argue that
individuals should have a legal right to own them, similar to the
constitutionally protected right brought about by the second
amendment to the United States constitution. They often argue that
legal firearm ownership does not present a significant danger to
the community, that illegal ownership is the real issue, and that
'guns don't kill people, people do'.
