澳大利亚曾在1996年果断收紧枪支：霍华德上任仅3个月，在塔斯马尼亚亚瑟港（Port Arthur）35人遇害后，推动《1996年国家枪械协议》，禁止民用全自动及大多数半自动步枪/霰弹枪，并通过回购计划收缴逾65万支枪。

2025年12月悉尼邦迪海滩再遭重创：一对父子开枪，造成15人死亡。父亲Sajid Akram，50岁，被警方击毙；儿子Naveed Akram，24岁，中枪后被捕。警方称父亲持枪证已10年，合法拥有6支枪，令制度漏洞再次成为焦点。

尽管暴力率远低于美国，持枪量却在回升：民间枪支现超400万支，比1996年高25%，约每7名澳大利亚人就有1支枪。报告称或有多达60万支非法枪流通，全国枪械登记系统预计到2028年年中才上线；民调显示64%支持进一步收紧。联合国数据：2023年美国枪支凶杀率为每10万人4.4，而澳大利亚低于0.1。

Australia once tightened gun laws decisively in 1996: after 35 deaths at Port Arthur in Tasmania, Prime Minister John Howard—only 3 months into the job—pushed the 1996 National Firearms Agreement, banning civilian automatic and most semi-automatic rifles and shotguns and buying back more than 650,000 weapons.

In December 2025, Sydney’s Bondi Beach tested that legacy: a father and son opened fire, killing 15 people. The father, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police; the son, Naveed Akram, 24, was shot, captured, and hospitalized. Police say the father had held a gun permit for a decade and legally owned six firearms, reviving questions about enforcement gaps.

Ownership has risen even as violence remains far below the US: civilians now hold over 4 million guns, 25% higher than 1996—about 1 firearm per 7 Australians. A report warns up to 600,000 illicit guns and says a national register may not be operational until mid-2028; a poll finds 64% support tougher laws. UN data put 2023 firearm-homicide rates at 4.4 per 100,000 in the US versus under 0.1 in Australia.