Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday touted his country's gun control laws ahead of a meeting with President Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE while declining to specifically weigh in on the intense gun control debate in the U.S.

"It’s not for me to get involved in a contentious domestic political debate here, but Australia’s experience in gun law reform, of course undertaken so courageously and effectively by John Howard more than 20 years ago, is a very powerful demonstration of the success of our policy," Turnbull said at a news conference in front of the White House.

"Of course, they’re often cited in the debate here, but we’ll leave the domestic political debate to the Americans," he added.

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Turnbull's comments come ahead of his meeting with Trump at the White House on Friday.

Turnbull said he intends to offer Trump his "deepest condolences" for last week's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., about 30 miles outside Fort Lauderdale.

The shooting, which left 17 people dead and more than a dozen others wounded, has reignited a ferocious debate over America's gun control laws.

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his deputy Tim Fischer spearheaded gun control reform efforts in the country after a 1996 mass shooting in Tasmania left 35 people dead and 23 wounded.

Those efforts led to a gun buyback program, regulations for storing guns and ammunition, as well as a requirement that every Australian state register guns.

Trump has signaled a shift on guns a day after an emotional listening session at the White House this week with families of victims and survivors of school shootings.

Trump said he wants to ban a rifle attachment that allows guns to fire like automatic weapons, supports raising the age for purchasing long guns from 18 to 21 and will push for comprehensive background checks.