Australia had the gold standard' on gun control. The Bondi beach terror attack will force it to confront its surging number of weapons

"For almost three decades, Australia's gun laws have been recognised as among the most stringent and effective in the world. After the horror of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre that killed 35 people in Tasmania, Australia's then conservative government stared down the gun lobby to introduce restrictions that led to a dramatic decrease in the number of guns. In an almost unprecedented display of national collaboration, the federal government worked with the states to restrict semiautomatic weapons, toughen up licensing requirements"

"Gun safety experts have been warning of complacency, pointing to booming gun numbers and weaknesses across state and territory laws that can be easily exploited, or see lawful weapons end up in criminal hands. At the same time, new threats such as 3D-printed weapons and a growing sovereign citizen movement are posing new challenges to law enforcement when it comes to gun control."

For almost three decades Australia has maintained some of the world’s strictest and most effective gun laws, implemented after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The federal government and states collaborated to restrict semiautomatic weapons, tighten licensing, and require a genuine reason for ownership, producing a dramatic reduction in firearms. Recent events, including the Bondi attack, have exposed persistent vulnerabilities: booming gun numbers, inconsistently harmonised state laws, unimplemented elements of the national firearm agreement such as a promised national register, and emerging threats like 3D-printed guns and the sovereign citizen movement. These factors may erode public confidence and challenge enforcement.

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