Mass shootings are rare in Australia. Here is a look at some previous attacks

At least 11 people were killed Sunday in a shooting attack during a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, police said. The attack, which took place during Hanukkah festivities, has shocked Australia, a nation where mass shootings have become rare due to stringent gun control measures implemented decades ago.

Australian authorities have described the incident as a terrorist attack specifically targeting the Jewish community. The shooting marks one of the deadliest attacks on Australian soil in recent years and has drawn immediate condemnation from officials across the political spectrum.

Mass shootings were once more common in Australia before a pivotal moment in the nation’s history changed its relationship with firearms forever. In April 1996, gunman Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded 23 in a rampage at the Port Arthur tourist precinct in Tasmania, fundamentally altering Australia’s approach to gun ownership.

In response to the Port Arthur massacre, federal and state governments swiftly implemented comprehensive gun reform, banning semiautomatic and pump-action shotguns and rifles. The legislation established a nationwide buyback program that removed more than 700,000 firearms from circulation.

The effectiveness of these measures has been documented over time. In the decade before the Port Arthur incident, Australia had experienced 11 mass shootings with at least four victims each. In the decade that followed, the country recorded none.

While Australia has maintained relatively low rates of gun violence compared to countries like the United States, several notable incidents have occurred in the years since Port Arthur.

In September 2014, a family tragedy unfolded near Lockhart in New South Wales when a farmer shot his wife and three children before taking his own life. Just months later in December 2014, a hostage crisis at Sydney’s Lindt Café ended with three deaths, including the Iranian-born self-styled cleric who had taken 18 people hostage.

Western Australia experienced a devastating family murder-suicide in May 2018, when a farmer killed six family members before turning the gun on himself. The following year, in June 2019, a man on parole fatally shot four men and wounded a woman in Darwin.

More recently, in December 2022, Queensland state witnessed a deadly gunbattle at a rural property in Wieambilla. Two police officers were shot and killed by extremist Christian conspiracy theorists. The confrontation ended with police fatally shooting the three attackers and one of their neighbors, bringing the death toll to six.

Sunday’s Bondi Beach attack now joins this tragic timeline as one of Australia’s worst mass casualty events in decades. The targeting of a Hanukkah celebration has raised concerns about rising antisemitism and religiously motivated violence in a country that has prided itself on multiculturalism and social harmony.

Security analysts note that while Australia’s gun control measures have generally been effective at reducing firearm violence, the country continues to face challenges from extremism and targeted attacks against specific communities.

The incident comes amid rising global tensions and increased concern about antisemitic violence following conflicts in the Middle East. Jewish communities worldwide have reported heightened security concerns in recent months.

Australian authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation into the Bondi Beach attack, focusing on the shooters’ motivations, planning, and potential connections to extremist networks. Police have increased security presence at Jewish institutions across major cities as a precautionary measure.

As the investigation unfolds, this latest tragedy has reopened debates about security, extremism, and communal safety in a nation that has worked diligently to prevent mass shootings since the watershed moment at Port Arthur nearly three decades ago.