Australia has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. While the horrific Bondi terror attack was our first mass shooting in nearly three decades — with the previous event being the 1996 Port Arthur massacre — our government has implemented rules that have worked up until this point.
Sajid Akram, one of the two Bondi shooters, obtained his six firearms legally. He had a gun license, got his hands on the weapons the ‘right way’ before causing endless harm to countless lives.
What happened? Didn’t we solve this after the Port Arthur massacre?
There’s no denying the nation’s gun laws are strict; however, research conducted by The Australia Institute published earlier this year found that there are more firearms registered in the country than before the National Firearms Agreement (NFA).
While there were 3.2 million registered guns in 1996 — which reduced to 2.5 million in 1997 after the introduction of the NFA — there are now almost 4.1 million firearms in the country. This doesn’t include any illegally-owned guns that aren’t registered. The number of guns per licensed individual has increased to four per person.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns are in the “early stages” of investigating potential changes to Australia’s strict gun laws following the events of the Bondi terror attack, wherein 16 people were killed and 40 more were injured.
In a press conference on Monday morning, the PM said the Australian government will do “whatever is necessary” to keep Australians safe, including leading legislative reform like the changes to gun laws that followed the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
So, what exactly are our gun laws, and what needs to be changed in order to prevent this from happening again?
How did Australia’s gun laws change after the Port Arthur massacre?
Just 12 days after the devastating Port Arthur shooting that killed 35 people and injured 23 others, the Howard Government introduced a reformed National Firearms Agreement.
The agreement, which was backed by all the nation’s major political parties, all six states and three mainland territories, banned automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.
It also restricted the legal ownership of firearms, wherein people had to obtain a license and a valid reason to buy guns — which was previously only implemented at a state level. Self-defence did not count as a valid reason to obtain a gun license, people under the age of 18 could not purchase guns, and there would also be a 28-day waiting period for all firearm purchases.
Part of the NFA included a Gun Buy-Back Scheme and Amnesty Program, wherein the Australian Government spent $200 million to compensate Australian gun-owners and dealers for surrendering newly-prohibited weapons. Almost 650,000 firearms — roughly one-third of privately owned guns in Australia at the time — were surrendered and destroyed.
The Howard Government also promised that a National Firearm Registry would be created, which would be a central hub of data from each state and territory.
Gun legislation became one of the defining hallmarks of John Howard’s legacy, one that Australians from across the political spectrum publicly thank him for — particularly in response to gun violence in the United States. The Bondi terror attack is throwing a new light on that same legislation. What happened?
What did the National Firearms Agreement mean for Australians?
Gun deaths in Australia dropped almost 70 per cent after the NFA, from 2.9 per 100,000 people in 1996 to 0.88 per 100,000 people in 2018, according to the Australian Gun Safety Alliance. It’s 12 times lower than the rate of gun deaths in the U.S., which sits at around 10.6 per 100,000 people.
What are the current Australian gun laws?
The National Firearms Agreement was reconfirmed by all jurisdictions in 2017, but specific eligibility criteria are dependent on each state.
To obtain a gun license, you must be over the age of 18; however, individuals younger than 18 can apply for a ‘Firearm Minor Permit’, with the minimum age requirement dependent on the state.
A ‘genuine reason’ and proof must be given for wanting a gun license, including sport, recreational hunting, pest control, business or employment, rural occupation, animal welfare or being a firearm collector. A multi-day firearm safety course also needs to be completed.
The Firearms Registry processes the application and conducts background checks, including criminal record, court-ordered mental health orders and intelligence checks. If you are a non-prohibited person and you pass the course, you are eligible to obtain a firearm.
What needs to change?
Sajid Akram, the 50-year-old Bondi shooter who was killed by police, was granted a gun license two years ago, almost four years after his son Naveed — alleged to be the second shooter — was investigated by ASIO. The guns used in the Bondi attack were acquired legally and registered in Sajid’s name.
Criminal law expert at the University of Southern Queensland Andrew Hemming told USA Today that Australia’s gun laws have actually “weakened” since the Port Arthur incident. He said gun ownership is rising in urban areas, and that it’s not always clear how thorough background checks on would-be gun owners are.
“[It’s] very difficult to stop an incident of this kind when apparently there were no red flags,” Hemming said.
While the National Firearm Registry was proposed in 1996, it still has not been created and won’t be finalised until 2028.
“We have been waiting decades for a national firearms register and are told it will still take three more years and not be operational until 2028. That is far too long,” Senator David Shoebridge, Australian Greens Justice Spokesperson, said in a statement.
“A single national firearms database is an important missing tool for national crime agencies to track and investigate gun movements and dangerous gun owners.”
Shoebridge said new laws, including limits on how many guns a person can own, restrictions on high-powered weapons and bans on rapid fire actions, “must be implemented urgently”.
What has Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to tougher gun laws in the wake of the attack. “The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary,” he told the media.
Albanese also promised a review into gun licenses.
“Over a period of time, people’s circumstances change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licenses should not be in perpetuity,” he said.
The 1996 Port Arthur shooting proved that decisive political action can dramatically reduce gun violence. However, those restrictions have grown lax over the 29 years it’s been since the shooting.
The Bondi attack has raised a confronting question: are our gun laws as strict as we thought they were? And what is the government going to do to tighten them?
There are more guns in circulation in Australia than before the NFA was implemented, and with hatred, racism and antisemitism unfortunately on the rise, the government needs to act with a matter of urgency to fix it.
Lead image: Getty
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