Gun ownership is rising across Australia, with the number of registered firearms now surpassing levels seen before the Port Arthur massacre.
It has raised urgent questions about regulation, enforcement, and transparency.
On Monday morning’s episode of The Briefing, we sat down with Professor Joel Negin from the University of Sydney about the shifting gun culture, political responses, and whether Australia’s gun laws are still fit for purpose.
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“In New South Wales alone, there are 1.1 million registered firearms…yet at the same time, despite the increase in the number of firearms in New South Wales, there are fewer people who are owning those firearms,” he said.
He warned that “the more firearms we have, that has a risk to public safety,” adding that most firearm deaths are not from mass shootings but suicides and accidents.
“The majority of firearm deaths and injuries are actually suicides and accidents, and a lot of those are occurring among licensed firearm holders using registered weapons,” Negin said.
Negin described current trends as a “slippery environment,” with the NSW Shooters Reform Bill pushing for a “right to hunt” and the introduction of silencers.
“That is not the way policy of this type…should be designed, nor should it pass in its current form,” he said.
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