This is an Open Access book licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence.
Over Our Dead Bodies
ISBN: 9781743320310
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.30722/sup.9781743320310
Publication date: 6 February 2013
The Port Arthur massacre on 28 April 1996, when 35 people were shot dead by Martin Bryant, transformed Australia’s gun control debate. Public outrage drove politicians from all sides of politics to embrace gun control. Non-violent ‘people power’ galvanised government resolve to outlaw semi-automatic weapons, register all guns, and tighten gun ownership laws.
Simon Chapman’s book gives an insider’s view of the struggle for gun control, highlighting the public discourse between shooters determined to preserve the right for civilians to bear military-style weapons, and activists dedicated to getting Australia ‘off the American path’ of gun violence.
Law reform is not inevitable. It requires the planned, strategic use of media and advocacy to convert anger into action. The story of the campaign for gun control is a practical guide to achieving humane social change for activists everywhere.
About the author
Simon Chapman is professor emeritus of public health at the University of Sydney. In 2013 he was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for his contributions to public health.
This is an Open Access book licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence.
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