The Global Story - Why Australia’s gun laws aren’t as strong as you might think
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 21 December 2025
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Australia tightened its gun laws, and has since been considered a world-leading example by gun control advocates of how to lessen the chances of mass shootings occurring.
However, the mass murder of at least 15 people in an antisemitic attack at Bondi beach on Sunday has again raised the issue of gun access, and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has said he is “ready to fight” to strengthen the laws again.
On today’s show, Ariel Bogle, an investigations reporter with Guardian Australia, explains why the number of guns in Australia has been rising, and how stricter laws might be received in the country.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Marty Peralta
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Photo of unregistered handguns that were returned to police, near Smederevo, Serbia. Credit: Dimitrije Goll /EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.3 | If American politics is leaving you with a lot of questions, you're not alone. |
| 0:12.3 | On America's, we chat through what's really going on. |
| 0:15.3 | Make sense of what's happening in the US, with new podcast episodes arriving throughout the week. |
| 0:20.7 | America's, listen on BBC Science. |
| 0:23.9 | Hey there, I'm Asma Khalid. |
| 0:26.0 | And I'm Tristan Redmond, and we're here with a bonus episode for you from the Global Story podcast. |
| 0:31.2 | The world order is shifting. |
| 0:33.1 | Old alliances are fraying and new ones are emerging. |
| 0:37.3 | Some of this turbulence can be traced to decisions made in the United States. But the U.S. isn't just a cause of the upheaval. Its politics are also a symptom of it. |
| 0:48.0 | Every day we focus on one story, looking at how America and the world shape each other. |
| 0:53.3 | So we hope you enjoy this episode. |
| 0:55.2 | And to find more of our show, just search for The Global Story, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. |
| 1:02.3 | In the days since at least 15 people were murdered in an anti-Semitic massacre on Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday, |
| 1:10.4 | Australia has been reckoning with some big questions. |
| 1:14.6 | Among them, how was it possible for this tragedy to happen in a nation that has had to deal |
| 1:19.6 | with mass shootings in the past and specifically changed its laws to control who can own a firearm? |
| 1:26.6 | And why are there now more registered firearms in Australia |
| 1:30.4 | than there were 30 years ago? |
| 1:34.5 | From the BBC, I'm Tristan Redman in London. |
| 1:38.2 | And I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. |
| 1:40.9 | And today on the global story, |
... |
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