John Howard was the prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. The leader of the center-right Liberal Party, Howard championed free-market economic policy and sweeping restrictions on guns after a gunman killed 35 people in the town of Port Arthur in 1996. He spoke with me over the phone on Monday from Sydney to discuss the progress of federal gun-control legislation after the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as the future of moderation within the Republican Party.
(This interview has been condensed and edited lightly for clarity.)
