Gun Safety Alliance support firearms reform
Australian Gun Safety Alliance
Gun Safety Advocates Support a Ten-Point Plan for Firearm Reform
Australia’s leading public-health, community-safety, and firearm-harm prevention organisations have issued a joint call for urgent reform of the nation’s firearm laws following the fatal attack at Bondi, in which 15 people were killed while attending a Jewish community celebration.
We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and their families and loved ones. This act of terror – in which people were specifically targeted – is a devastating reminder that Australians should be able to gather, celebrate and practise their faith without fear of gun violence.
Australia’s world-renowned firearm framework, established after the Port Arthur tragedy in 1996, has saved countless lives and demonstrated that strong, evidence-based gun laws work. However, nearly three decades on, Australia’s gun laws have not kept pace with changes in firearm technology, shifts in ownership patterns and contemporary risk factors. Firearm ownership in Australia is a privilege, not a right, and it must be justified by genuine public-interest need.
Authorities have confirmed that the weapons used in the Bondi attack were legally owned, exposing serious gaps in licensing, firearm categorisation, storage, oversight and national coordination. It is clear that we must reduce the number of firearms circulating in the community and rigorously tighten regulatory safeguards.
We welcome National Cabinet’s agreement that strong and focused action is needed on gun-law reform – including renegotiating the National Firearms Agreement (NFA) to ensure it remains as robust as possible. Building on the original lifesaving framework and addressing current shortcomings, we are calling for reform:
- Professor Joel Negin, School of Public Health, University of Sydney
- Walter Mikac AM, Founding Patron, Alannah & Madeline Foundation
- Tim Quinn, President, Gun Control Australia
- Rod Campbell, Research Director, The Australia Institute
To view the detailed Plan of Action to Reduce Firearm Harm visit; Gun Safety Advocates Support a Ten-Point Plan for Firearm Reform - Australian Gun Safety Alliance.