AS the sad and tragic news of yet another fatal shooting emanates from the United States, it is reassuring to learn Prime Minister Tony Abbott plans to suspend the importation of the Adler A110 rapid-fire shotgun.

As the Sunday Herald Sun exclusively reveals today, Mr Abbott — while intervening in the gun law reform debate — has halted the arrival of the weapon on Australian shores.

Described by experts as a “fast and furious” firearm, the Turkish-made Adler A110 can fire eight shots in eight seconds thanks to a lever-action mechanism.

In the wrong hands these guns could cause untold damage, death and misery.

The arrival of these shotguns in Australia threatens to undermine gun laws introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, where gunman Martin Bryant shot dead 35 innocent victims — including men, women and children.

In the wake of that massacre, then prime minister John Howard introduced groundbreaking laws banning semi-automatic firearms in Australia.

They were vital laws that have helped prevent a similar act of unspeakable carnage in this country.

Sadly, such acts continue to occur in the US.

The rapid-fire Adler A110 was to be classed as a Category A weapon, the most relaxed classification under our current gun laws.

Because of this, critics warned the availability of this firearm in Australia would make it possible for thousands of ordinary shooters to own a rapid-fire shotgun for the first time since the Port Arthur mass shooting. The gun has sparked debate about the dangers of firearms versus the right for legitimate licence holders to use them. It is an argument that inevitably becomes a heated one.

The company wanting to import the Adler A110 said it was “miffed” at the latest controversy because the guns, which sell for about $800, meet all current legal requirements.

Field and Game Australia development manager Daryl Snowdon has been quoted as saying current laws were a “knee-jerk reaction” to the Port Arthur massacre.

But Victorian Police Minister Wade Noonan believes the Adler A110 should have the same restriction as a semi-automatic firearm.

“I have spoken to the Acting (police) Chief Commissioner Tim Cartwright about this matter,” Mr Noonan recently said.

Gun Control Australia spokesman Roland Browne told the Sunday Herald Sun: “Rapid-fire rifles turn up in mass shootings and that’s why they were basically banned here after Port Arthur. We would like to see a complete ban unless it is subject to the same restrictions as a Category C firearm.”

In the wake of Mr Abbott’s intervention, the importation of 7000 Adler A110 shotguns will be suspended for at least six months, until the National Firearms Agreement review process is completed in early 2016.

For the moment, at least, the status quo on public firepower remains.

Mr Abbott should be congratulated for taking this strong stance. In doing so he has upheld the legacy set by Mr Howard after one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history.