Recent violence in both the United States and Australia has reignited a contentious debate over gun control. On March 23, 2024, a shooter at Brown University in Rhode Island used a 9-mm handgun to kill two students and injure nine others during a study session. The assailant fired over 40 rounds before fleeing the scene, underscoring concerns about safety in designated gun-free zones.
Just a day later, a father-son terrorist duo opened fire at a Jewish Hanukkah ceremony in Bondi Beach, Sydney, resulting in the deaths of 15 individuals and injuring 40 more. Eyewitness footage revealed the attackers firing their weapons freely before police arrived, highlighting a serious breach of safety in Australia, which has not seen a mass shooting since the implementation of the National Firearms Agreement (NFA) in 1996. That legislation was introduced in response to a mass shooting in Tasmania that left 35 people dead.
As news of the Bondi Beach attack spread, calls for stricter gun control measures in the United States intensified. Advocates pointed to Australia’s NFA as a model for reducing gun violence. However, critics argue that the NFA, while effective in some aspects, is flawed and riddled with loopholes.
Michael Reagan, son of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, expressed skepticism regarding the efficacy of Australia’s gun laws. He highlighted that despite the NFA’s significant measures, such as banning semi-automatic rifles and shotguns and initiating a buyback program that removed nearly 700,000 weapons from circulation, the current reality in Australia is far from ideal.
The NFA has resulted in an increase in licensed gun owners, with approximately 4 million Australians holding permits—800,000 more than since the NFA’s inception. This statistic raises questions about the actual impact of the legislation on gun violence and public safety.
In 2023, Australia recorded fewer than 300 homicides, while the United States saw approximately 18,000. Despite a lower overall murder rate, gun-related deaths account for 17% of total homicides in Australia. Interestingly, the most common murder weapon in the country remains a knife, suggesting that even with strict gun laws, violence persists in various forms.
The recent mass shootings have reignited discussions about the effectiveness of gun control measures in both nations. Critics of stringent regulations in the United States argue that the sheer number of firearms—estimated between 400 million and 500 million—renders any comprehensive gun control policy virtually unfeasible.
As the debate unfolds, the tragic events in both Rhode Island and Sydney have cast doubt on the perceived success of Australia’s gun laws, revealing complexities that may not make them suitable for adoption in the U.S.
In the wake of these incidents, it is evident that the discussion surrounding gun control is far from settled. The contrasting experiences of the United States and Australia continue to fuel a passionate discourse on how best to approach the issue of gun violence and public safety.
