Former prime minister John Howard has reflected on the historic decision to overhaul Australia’s gun laws, 25 years on from the Port Arthur massacre.

35 people were killed when a gunman opened fire in Port Arthur in 1996.

Former prime minister John Howard told Ben Fordham he knew he had to act.

“Instinctively, I knew I had to do something quite major.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

Image: Getty/Robert Cianflone/Hanna Lassen