Australia was widely regarded as a world leader in gun control – the Bondi attack has revealed a much murkier truth.

On a Sunday afternoon in April 1996, a single attacker armed with rapid-fire weapons killed 35 people in the Australian tourist town of Port Arthur.

That massacre nearly a generation ago, which led to some of the toughest weapons policies in the world, can seem like a bygone age for many citizens.

However, the Bondi Beach attack this past Sunday, which resulted in 15 fatalities, has revived the ghosts of the 1996 shootings.

Firearm Possession at a Unprecedented Level

A study released earlier this year revealed that there are now more than four million weapons owned by civilians across the country – a figure that is nearly twice the amount from the late 1990s.

This equates to approximately one firearm per seven citizens.

While Queensland has the largest arsenal, followed by NSW and Victoria, it is the island state and the Northern Territory that have the highest rate of firearm ownership.

The data also dispels the common view that guns are mainly owned by rural residents.

Firearms are common in urban centres, with a significant portion located in population centres.

Critically, there are now weapons owned by a smaller group, with the typical gun owner possessing more than four firearms.

Understanding Australia's Present Firearm Regulations?

Gun control laws in Australia are varied across the country, with a patchwork implementation of rules across states and territories.

Generally, to secure a gun licence, an individual must be of legal age, deemed a "fit and proper person", pass a training and safety course, and provide a "genuine reason" for ownership.

The permitted justifications include sport shooting or animal management, target or sport shooting, certain job-related needs, and collecting.

However, significant shortcomings remain. For instance, young people in some areas can have access to a firearm from as young as early adolescence.

Following the Port Arthur massacre, a major rewrite of national gun laws was enacted, leading to a massive buyback of over 650,000 firearms.

Certain types of firearms were prohibited, and background checks alongside mandatory cooling-off periods for sales were introduced.

A key tenet of these reforms was the rejection of "self-defence" as a acceptable grounds for gun ownership.

New Push for Gun Law Reform

In the wake the Bondi shooting, political leaders were forceful about the need to bolster gun laws.

A national gun buyback scheme was proposed, marking the largest such effort since 1996.

Other proposals now under consideration include:

• Restricting the number of guns an individual can have registered.
• Ending "open-ended" licensing arrangements.
• Making formal citizenship a condition for firearm ownership.
• Improving intelligence sharing during licence application processes.

There are also calls for ongoing evaluations of existing licence holders, acknowledging that "individuals can be radicalised" over time.

A Complicated Debate

These swift actions have met with opposition from some quarters.

Pro-gun advocates contend that limiting gun numbers would not have averted an attack driven by extremist ideology.

They suggest that resources would be better spent combating radicalisation rather than restricting lawful owners for the vast majority of law-abiding citizens.

Furthermore, a key proposed reform from 1996 – a national firearms register – remains incomplete, though it has now been listed as a key project.

A Painful Reminder

For long-time advocates, the Bondi attack is a tragic indication that policies must evolve with new threats.

They argue that strengthening is needed to "keep up-to-date" and protect public safety.

While mass shootings remain infrequent in Australia compared to some nations, the risk persists, and the ongoing issue of weapons being misused – through theft – continues to pose a problem.

As one advocate reflected, "It is regrettable that it needs such a loss of life to get people to wake up and take notice."