After a mass murder in Australia in 1996, the arch-conservative prime minister John Howard did something that politicians in our own country barely even discuss: He passed comprehensive gun-control laws, which authorized the outright confiscation of all assault weapons. “How many more people need to be murdered by a madman to convince the government to do something?” Howard later explained.

Watch this clip from a documentary recounting John Howard’s time in office — including how he handled his own right-wing base, dealt with death threats, wore body armor to address a rally of angry protesters, and finally accomplished lasting change for the safety of his country.

Video viaThe Howard Years /Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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