THE LAST WORD 07-31-15

THE LAST WORD

Mass shootings have become an incredibly common occurrence in America. With every tragedy comes pleas for gun laws to change and prevent the loss of more lives. As the U.S. continues to grapple with a solution to the growing problem, Australia just marked 19 years since they experienced one of the worst massacres in their history. In 1996, a 28-year-old man opened fire in a Tasmanian tourist town, killing 35 people and seriously wounding 18 others. The country’s officials passed new gun laws less than two weeks later and Australia hasn’t suffered a similar incident since. Mic’s Gregory Krieg notes that there’s no fundamental right to bear arms in Australia, and their government is built for swift action. But if now’s not the right time for enacting more gun legislation in the U.S., how many lives will we have to lose before it is?