Australia and the United States share a tragic anniversary. On December 14 on Bondi Beach, 15 people were murdered at a Hanukkah celebration. On December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary, 20 children were murdered along with six teachers and staff.

These killings are joined by more than the merciless slaying of innocents we saw in Sydney on Sunday and in Newtown, Connecticut, 13 years ago. For the men leading their nations in these moments of profound grief and anger, they also presented a powerful opportunity to do something big, something vital and something good.

Mourners gather at a synagogue for the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a victim in the Bondi Beach mass shooting, on Wednesday, December 17.Credit: AP

Barack Obama tried.

Within hours of the shooting, he made clear his intention to tackle the absurdly liberal gun laws that enabled 20-year-old Adam Lanza to get his hands on an assault rifle, shotgun and two semi-automatic pistols legally owned by his mother, who was also his first victim.

“These neighbourhoods are our neighbourhoods, these children are our children, and we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of politics,” said Obama, who has since described the Sandy Hook school shooting as the darkest day of his presidency.

Politics had other ideas. A craven Congress and the influence of National Rifle Association ensured Obama fell six Senate votes short of securing gun law........

© The Sydney Morning Herald