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Australia has eliminated mass shootings — here's what the US can learn

Australia has not had a mass shooting since 1996, the same year the country passed sweeping regulations on civilian access to guns.

  • After alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, public calls for stricter gun laws are becoming louder in the United States.
  • Australia has not witnessed a mass shooting since 1996 — the same year the country passed a sweeping set of gun regulations.
  • Researchers say similar policies could work in the US, especially if laws were instituted at the national level.
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Australia has not had a mass shooting since 1996.

Meanwhile, the United States has suffered 91 mass shootings (since that year.

The latest shooting — when Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida — has renewed a national debate around stricter gun regulation.

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We might look to other countries to see whether tighter gun laws can be successful. That is the case in Australia, where the government passed the National Firearm Agreement (NFA), a sweeping set of gun regulations, in 1996. According to the most recent data available — from 1996 to 2015 — the annual number of gun-related homicides decreased from 516 to 211.

Before 1996, the country had seen 14 mass shootings, but one particularly horrific spree led to gun reform. In April 1996 — in the worst mass murder in Australia's history — gunman Martin Bryant killed 35 people and injured 24 others atTwelve days later, the government instituted the NFA, which includes three main provisions: tight control on

"If it's hard to buy guns legally, in crimes driven by passion as opposed to preplanned acts, [the regulation] would have a larger effect," said. "If I want to commit a mass shooting and I come to the store to buy a gun, but I'm told I have to wait 28 days, I might change my mind completely."

Unlike American gun regulations, the NFA also applies to every Australian state. Prospective gun owners must obtain a permit and license, be at least 18, undergo a firearms safety training, provide a "genuine reason" for buying a gun other than personal protection, and provide documentation about storage arrangements for their weapon.

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"The states would probably need to come together, and the regulations would need to be at the federal level," said.

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