The Sunday afternoon murder in April of 35 people and the wounding of another 18 by a lone gunman at Tasmania's Port Arthur tourist site unleashed a programme of unprecedented gun law reform in Australia. If prime minister John Howard and the eight state and territory police ministers have their way, within a few months all parliaments will have legislated for uniform national gun laws. These represent the local gun lobby's worst nightmare: linked licensing of the person who wants to shoot and the registration of his or her guns; a ban on all semiautomatic rifles and pump action shotguns; the end of private owner-to-owner gun sales; and tougher definitions and documentation procedures for both “reason” …