Canberra: Stung by a deadly school shooting spree, Australian Prime Minister John Howard called on October 24 for a ban on all handguns except those used in sporting events and by security forces.

Acting four days after a Melbourne University student armed with several handguns killed two classmates and wounded five others in a shooting rampage, Howard said radical measures were needed.

"The public demands that more be done to control the proliferation of handguns," he said.

"Essentially what I am proposing is that we make allowance for Commonwealth and Olympic Games and similar events, and weapons destined for police, security and military use, and apart from that all other classes of handguns should be banned nationwide," he said.

The ban would be accompanied by a gun buy-back scheme and amnesty for those who turn in weapons held illegally.

Howard met earlier with the Premiers and Chief Ministers of all Australia's states and they agreed to submit a series of gun control proposals to a meeting of police ministers next month.