On a weekend day in 1996, a single attacker using semi-automatic rifles took the lives of 35 people in the historic site of Port Arthur.
That massacre nearly three decades ago, which led to some of the toughest firearm regulations in the world, can appear as a bygone age for many Australians.
However, the tragedy in Bondi this past Sunday, which resulted in 15 fatalities, has brought back painful recollections of the 1996 shootings.
A recent report revealed that there are now more than four million privately-owned firearms across the country – a figure that is nearly twice the amount from the late 1990s.
This equates to approximately a weapon for each small group of people.
While Queensland has the largest arsenal, followed by New South Wales (NSW) and the state of Victoria, it is Tasmania and the Northern Territory that have the greatest density of weapons.
The data also challenges the popular notion that guns are mostly possessed by people in regional areas.
Guns are prevalent in cities and their outskirts, with a sizable percentage located in urban hubs.
Critically, there are now firearms concentrated among fewer owners, with the typical gun owner possessing several firearms.
Weapons legislation in Australia are not uniform across the country, with a disparate implementation of rules across states and territories.
Broadly speaking, to secure a gun licence, an individual must be over 18, deemed a "responsible individual", pass a competency test, and provide a "valid purpose" for ownership.
The accepted reasons include sport shooting or animal management, target or sport shooting, certain occupational requirements, and collecting.
However, significant loopholes remain. For instance, minors in some areas can have access to a firearm from as young as early adolescence.
Following the Port Arthur massacre, a comprehensive reform of national gun laws was enacted, leading to a large-scale surrender scheme of over 650,000 firearms.
Rapid-fire weapons were banned, and background checks alongside mandatory cooling-off periods for sales were introduced.
A key tenet of these reforms was the removal of "home security" as a acceptable grounds for gun ownership.
In the wake the Bondi shooting, political leaders were clear about the need to strengthen gun laws.
A national gun buyback scheme was announced, marking the most significant such effort since 1996.
Other suggested measures now under consideration include:
There are also calls for periodic reassessments of existing licence holders, acknowledging that "people's circumstances can change" over time.
These reform efforts have drawn criticism from some quarters.
Pro-gun advocates maintain that limiting gun numbers would not have averted an attack driven by extremist ideology.
They suggest that focus would be better spent combating radicalisation rather than restricting lawful owners for the overwhelming number of licensed individuals.
Furthermore, a key proposed reform from 1996 – a centralised weapon tracking system – remains not yet operational, though it has now been listed as a urgent task.
For campaigners, the Bondi attack is a stark warning that gun laws must be updated with technological advances.
They argue that reform is needed to "keep up-to-date" and protect public safety.
While mass shootings remain uncommon in Australia compared to some nations, the threat persists, and the legacy of firearms circulating illegally – through black markets – continues to pose a challenge.
As one advocate reflected, "It's sad that it takes such a tragedy to prompt action and take notice."
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