Following the spree , the Prime Minister of Australia , John Howard , led the development of strict gun control laws within Australia and formulated the National Firearms Agreement , restricting the private ownership of semi-automatic rifles , semi-automatic shotguns and pump-action shotguns as well as introducing uniform firearms licensing . It was implemented with bipartisan support by the Commonwealth , states and territories . The massacre happened just six weeks after the Dunblane massacre , in Scotland , which claimed 18 lives , with U.K. Prime Minister John Major reaching out to his counterpart over the shared tragedies ; the United Kingdom passed its own changes to gun laws in 1997
Dunblane massacre
Dunblane massacre
Port Arthur massacre (Australia)