Sunday april 28 1996 port arthur tasmania

Suddenly One Sunday - Crime Library on truTV.com

Although much of the blame for Port Arthur was centered on the availability of guns used in violent crimes, Australia's homicide statistics prove otherwise. Tasmania, Martin Bryant's home state, has the lowest murder rate in the country with just 0.85 murders per 100,000 population, a rate far lower than Japan which has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, fists, knives and blunt instruments are the most frequently used weapons in homicides, with guns accounting for just 25%.

Martin Bryant is now housed in Hobart's Risdon prison under protective custody. His mother who, apart from his defense counsel, was Martin's only visitor during the trial, later told interviewers that she wished her son had died along with his victims. When asked how Martin was adapting to life in prison, she answered, "He's his usual self, he's smiling and laughing.