That grim prediction became reality. Within days, Prime Minister John Howard announced sweeping reforms banning automatic and semi-automatic long guns, introducing strict licensing rules, and launching a nationwide gun buyback program that ultimately destroyed 650,000 firearms.
The buyback alone cut firearm suicides by 74%, saving an estimated 200 lives each year.
Why did he do it?
Over the years, Bryant has given inconsistent and muddled explanations for why he killed 35 people. It may have been driven by a craving for attention, as he reportedly told a next-door neighbor, ”I’ll do something that will make everyone remember me.”
Reflecting on Australia’s response to the tragedy, former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer said, “Port Arthur was our Sandy Hook. Port Arthur we acted on. The USA is not prepared to act on their tragedies.”
In the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack in December 2025, Australia’s gun laws have come back into the spotlight. One of the shooters, Sajid Akram, held a category AB firearm license, which legally allowed him to possess six guns, according to the NSW Police Commissioner.
This license, granted for “recreational” purposes, allowed him an unlimited number of certain rifles and shotguns. Footage from the attack shows Akram and his son equipped with at least a shotgun, two precision rifles, and ammo belts.
NSW Police are still investigating whether all six weapons found at the scene were registered to Akram.
While it may look like a serious arsenal, six firearms is actually fairly standard for an Australian gun owner. In 2024, gun licensees in Australia owned an average of 4.3 guns each, according to research from the Australia Institute. Across the country’s 943,000 license holders, there were around 4 million guns, and some individuals had hundreds.
“In the years since the Port Arthur shooting..”
Forensic firearms expert Gerard Dutton told the ABC that the way the shooter in Bondi Beach was reloading, “with a manual action between each shot, reveals it to be a variation of a ‘bolt-action’ rifle with a ‘straight pull action.’”
Dutton also noted that the gun market has evolved since semi-automatic weapons were banned after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996:
“In the years since the Port Arthur shooting, when the new laws were implemented and semi-automatic actions banned, variations in the common types of manually operated firearms entered the market that bridge the gap between traditional manual repeaters and semi-automatic weapons.”
The debate over gun laws and who should have access to high-powered firearms is set to continue in Australia, just as it does around the world, especially in light of the victims of mass shootings, which starkly highlight the devastating consequences of some weapons.
As we reflect on these tragedies, our thoughts go out to all the innocent lives lost — the victims whose stories were cut tragically short, and the families forever changed. May we honor their memory by remembering them, learning from these events, and striving for a safer future.
