Australia was long seen as a world leader in firearm regulation – the Bondi attack has exposed a much murkier situation.
On a weekend day in April 1996, a lone gunman wielding powerful firearms killed 35 people in the Australian tourist town of Port Arthur.
That national tragedy nearly three decades ago, which led to some of the toughest gun laws in the world, can appear as a bygone age for many Australians.
However, the tragedy in Bondi this past Sunday, which claimed 15 lives, has rekindled memories of the Tasmanian tragedy.
Weapons Holdings at a Unprecedented Level
A study released earlier this year revealed that there are now in excess of four million privately-owned firearms across the country – a figure that is roughly two times the amount from about 20 years ago.
This translates to approximately one firearm per seven citizens.
While the state of Queensland has the highest number of legal firearms, followed by NSW and Victoria, it is Tasmania and the Northern Territory that have the greatest density of weapons.
The data also challenges the widespread belief that guns are mostly possessed by those in the countryside.
Weapons are widespread in urban centres, with a significant portion located in urban hubs.
Critically, there are now firearms concentrated among fewer owners, with the average licence holder possessing several firearms.
Understanding Australia's Current Gun Laws?
Firearm regulations in Australia are not uniform across the country, with a disparate implementation of rules across states and territories.
Generally, to obtain a gun licence, an individual must be of legal age, deemed a "fit and proper person", pass a competency test, and provide a "legitimate need" for ownership.
The permitted justifications include recreational hunting or pest control, marksmanship, certain job-related needs, and for collections.
However, significant shortcomings remain. For instance, young people in some states can have access to a firearm from as young as 10 or 12 years old.
Following the Port Arthur massacre, a comprehensive reform of national gun laws was enacted, leading to a massive buyback of over 650,000 firearms.
Certain types of firearms were outlawed, and vetting procedures alongside waiting periods for sales were introduced.
A key tenet of these reforms was the elimination of "home security" as a justifiable cause for gun ownership.
Renewed Demands for Gun Law Reform
In the wake the Bondi shooting, political leaders were clear about the need to bolster gun laws.
A country-wide firearm surrender program was proposed, marking the first such effort since 1996.
Other planned reforms now under consideration include:
- Limiting the number of guns an individual can have registered.
- Reforming "perpetual" licensing arrangements.
- Making Australian citizenship a requirement for firearm ownership.
- Improving intelligence sharing during licence application processes.
There are also calls for regular reviews of existing licence holders, acknowledging that "people's circumstances can change" over time.
A Nuanced Discussion
These reform efforts have met with opposition from some quarters.
Pro-gun advocates argue that imposing caps would not have prevented an attack driven by violent beliefs.
They suggest that focus would be better spent combating radicalisation rather than changing laws for the overwhelming number of law-abiding citizens.
Furthermore, a long-promised reform from 1996 – a national firearms register – remains incomplete, though it has now been listed as a urgent task.
A Catalyst for Change
For reformers, the Bondi attack is a stark warning that policies must keep pace with new threats.
They argue that strengthening is needed to "address deficiencies" and prevent future tragedies.
While mass shootings remain uncommon in Australia compared to some nations, the threat persists, and the challenge of weapons being misused – through theft – continues to pose a problem.
As one advocate stated, "It is regrettable that it needs such a tragedy to get people to wake up and take notice."
