If the cold blooded murder of 20 children aged between six and seven and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 wasn't enough to persuade legislators to beef up the gun controls then nothing ever will.

It appears the reverse could even be the case.

Even as the surviving victims of the latest horror are being treated in hospitals across Nevada, the US House of Representatives is apparently only weeks away from passing a National Rifle Association backed bill that will legalise armour piercing bullets for public sale and relax restrictions on the use of silencers.

Both are needed to kill Bambi's mum apparently.

While Donald Trump has proved a wild card as President, he was endorsed by the National Rifle Association and has promised to "never infringe on the right of the people to bear arms".

While America will continue to go its own way on this hot button issue, which has its roots in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, Australia can take comfort from the fact laws passed by the Howard government in the wake of the Port Arthur shootings, which claimed 35 lives in April 1996, have made it difficult for such outrages to happen here.

There have been no mass shootings in this country since the dramatic tightening of gun laws that restricted the ownership and use of self-loading rifles and shotguns and a $350 million buyback scheme that took 643,000 weapons off the streets in the wake of Port Arthur.

This year's amnesty, conducted by the Turnbull government, has already netted a further 26,000 firearms of all shapes and sizes.

While there is no doubt these initiatives have made a massive contribution to public safety in Australia, the fact remains deranged, deluded or just evil individuals can wreak havoc in crowded public spaces even if firearms are not available.

Terrorist attacks involving trucks and knives in Europe and the Melbourne car attack in January that left six people dead and at least 30 injured are clear proof of this.

However, the rising death toll in Las Vegas shows the importance of effective gun control.

Recent moves to bring the Adler A110 lever action, rapid-fire, seven-shot,12-gauge shotgun into Australia also show need for continued vigilance here.

While some, such as Senator David Leyonhjelm, argued this was a technical dispute over what classification should be placed on a particular weapon, the issue should be seen for what it is; the thin end of the wedge.

There will be more occasions when people seek to water down Australia's gun laws, and the nation must remain ever-vigilant to prevent that from happening.

Prevention is always the best cure.