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Reference.org
National Firearms Agreement
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<p> The National Firearms Agreement (NFA), also sometimes called the National Agreement on Firearms, the National Firearms Agreement and Buyback Program, or the Nationwide Agreement on Firearms, is an agreement concerning <a href="/facts/Gun_control/Uuv4JpeY">firearm control</a> made by the Australasian Police Ministers' Council (APMC) in 1996, in response to the <a href="/facts/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia)/WD53EUuJ">Port Arthur massacre</a> that killed 35 people. Four days after the killings, prime minister <a href="/facts/John_Howard/2fKUSbxl">John Howard</a> told Parliament “We need to achieve a total prohibition on the ownership, possession, sale and importation of all automatic and semi-automatic weapons. That will be the essence of the proposal that will be put by the Commonwealth government at the meeting on Friday...". The APMC would agree to and form the NFA 12 days after the massacre on the 10th of May 1996. </p><p>The NFA placed tight control on semi-automatic and fully automatic weapons but permitted their use by a small number of licensed individuals who required them for a purpose other than "personal protection". The Act included a gun buy-back provision. </p><p>Negotiation and implementation of the Agreement was originally coordinated in 1996 by Prime Minister Howard. Since then the Agreement has continued to have support from both <a href="/facts/Labor_Party_of_Australia/NMNKMoko">Labor</a> and <a href="/facts/Coalition_(Australia)/ENAhYx1C">Coalition</a> Federal Governments. The Australian Police Ministers Council (APMC), comprising state and federal <a href="/facts/Ministry_of_Police_(disambiguation)/g1bIuCYD">police ministers</a>, meets at least every six months at which issues including the NFA are discussed. Changes to the NFA require the unanimous agreement of all governments. At a meeting on 21 October 2016, it was agreed to hold a firearm amnesty by mid-2017. </p><p>A 2006 study found that in the decade proceeding the gun law reforms, there were no fatal <a href="/facts/Mass_shooting/JIuzBHbk">mass shooting</a> and a decrease in firearm deaths, particularly suicides. The authors concluded that the removal of large numbers of rapid-firing firearms from the population may be an effective way to reduce mass shootings and firearm homicides and suicides. </p>