On Sunday, at least 15 individuals died and 42 were hospitalized following a shooting incident at a Sydney beach. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese identified the event as a terrorist incident targeting Jewish Australians.
Mass shootings are infrequent in Australia, a country with established gun legislation. The recent event has led Prime Minister Albanese and other Australian officials to consider further restrictions on firearms.
Historical Context of Australian Gun Laws
Australia's current gun legislation was largely shaped after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where 35 people were killed. Following this event, conservative Prime Minister John Howard led efforts to tighten gun laws.
The National Firearms Agreement (NFA) was established, restricting the sale of semi-automatic rifles and pump-action shotguns. This agreement included a national buyback program, which resulted in the surrender of over 650,000 firearms, according to the National Museum of Australia. The NFA also standardized firearms laws across Australia's states and territories, which had previously varied.
The agreement has been internationally recognized for its role in reducing firearms deaths in Australia. One study noted no mass shootings in the two decades following its implementation. Prime Minister Albanese stated on Monday that the "Howard government's gun laws have made an enormous difference in Australia" and were "achieved across the parliament with bipartisan support."
Despite these laws, firearm ownership in Australia has increased. A January report by The Australia Institute indicated more than 4 million guns in the country, a 25% increase since 1996. The report also suggested that some provisions of the NFA have been inconsistently applied or modified. Graham Park, president of Shooters Union Australia, reportedly told supporters that Australian firearms owners are "actually winning."
Proposed New Gun Control Measures
In response to Sunday's shooting, the prime minister and regional Australian leaders convened on Monday and agreed to pursue stronger gun measures. These proposals include:
- Renegotiating the 1996 National Firearms Agreement.
- Accelerating the establishment of the National Firearms Register, a 2023 initiative for a nationwide database of firearm owners and licenses.
- Incorporating more "criminal intelligence" into the firearms licensing process.
- Limiting the number of guns an individual can own.
- Restricting the types of guns and modifications that are legal.
- Mandating that only Australian citizens can hold a firearms license.
- Introducing additional customs restrictions on firearms and related equipment, potentially targeting items involved in 3D printing of firearms or accessories for high-capacity ammunition.
The leaders also reaffirmed support for Australia's national firearms amnesty program, which allows individuals to surrender unregistered firearms without legal penalties.
Context of Sunday's Shooting
Prime Minister Albanese stated on Monday that one of the individuals involved in Sunday's incident had been noted by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation in 2019 due to ties with an Islamic State terrorism cell in Sydney, as reported by ABC Australia. Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke confirmed that this individual was an Australian-born citizen. Burke added that the other individual arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998, transferred to a partner visa in 2001, and was most recently on a "resident return" visa.
Australia's Legislative Process
Australia's governmental structure, particularly the National Cabinet, facilitates rapid legal changes on matters of national importance. The National Cabinet comprises the prime minister and the premiers and chief ministers of Australia's six states and two territories.
Established in early 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic response, the National Cabinet has since addressed various national issues. While it does not enact laws directly, its members aim to establish common strategies and priorities for their respective parliaments to implement.
Public Opinion on Gun Control
Prior to Sunday's events, public sentiment in Australia supported robust gun laws. In January, a poll by The Australia Institute found that 64% of Australians favored strengthening gun laws, while 6% believed they should be relaxed. John Howard, former prime minister, stated in a 2016 interview that observing American culture led him to conclude that "the ready availability of guns inevitably led to massacres," adding that "Australia ought to try and do something so as not to go down the American path."
The National Firearms Agreement explicitly states that gun ownership and use are "a privilege that is conditional on the overriding need to ensure public safety." Paul Strangio, a politics professor at Monash University, wrote last year that compulsory voting in Australia generally leads politics "to the centre, inhibiting the trend towards polarisation and grievance politics so powerfully evident in other parts of the globe."
Following Sunday's shooting, there are renewed calls for stricter gun legislation. Walter Mikac, founding patron of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, stated on Monday, "After Port Arthur, Australia made a collective commitment to put community safety first, and that commitment remains as important today as ever." Mikac, whose two daughters and wife were killed in the 1996 shooting, added, "This is a horrific reminder of the need to stay vigilant against violence, and of the importance of ensuring our gun laws continue to protect the safety of all Australians."