Australia is experiencing a significant increase in the number of firearms, with over four million now in circulation. This rise comes nearly 30 years after the country’s deadliest mass shooting. Research from the Australian Institute reveals that the surge in illegal firearms is primarily due to the theft of legally owned guns, rather than 3D-printed weapons or black-market imports.

Since 2002, there have been 44,631 firearms reported stolen across Australia, with at least 9,000 of those thefts occurring since 2020. Rod Campbell, the research director at the Australian Institute, stated, "There's a link between legally-owned firearms and illegal firearms. The more legal guns there are, the more can be stolen to become illegal guns."

In October, police and Border Force officials conducted nationwide raids, resulting in the confiscation of over 1,000 firearms, including 281 that were 3D-printed. Homemade weapons made from various firearm parts were also discovered. NSW Police Detective Superintendent John Watson noted that stolen firearms are often disassembled and sold in parts. He cited a 2024 incident where thieves targeted the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum, intending to convert non-operational antique guns into functional weapons. "Some of the firearms had been stripped down to components, and that tells us that those parts would've ended up in other firearms in the illicit market," he said.

Despite Australia’s strict gun laws, researchers argue that the increasing number of legally owned firearms and the rise in thefts should prompt a reevaluation of gun policies. Campbell, a co-author of the Australian Institute's report on gun control, warned that the findings may not fully represent the situation due to incomplete data. He estimated that only a quarter of the 9,000 stolen firearms in the past five years have been recovered.

"We had to request [data] from police agencies in the different states and territories, and in several instances we had to get it through freedom of information requests," Campbell explained. The Australian Institute also utilized data from the now-defunct National Firearms Theft Monitoring Program and Gun Control Australia, which advocates for stricter gun laws.

Campbell emphasized the need for updated gun laws, including stricter limits on the number of firearms an individual can own. Earlier this year, Western Australia enacted new laws limiting most residents to 10 firearms, with a maximum of five for hunting licenses. He stated, "It's about reducing the number of guns. If people aren't actively using them and don't have a genuine need, people shouldn't have a gun. The very foundation of gun laws in Australia is that owning a gun is a privilege, not a right."

However, not everyone agrees with these proposals. Jack Wegman, CEO of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia Victoria, argued that imposing caps on firearm purchases would not enhance safety. "I think there's just an inherent lack of logic in putting caps on. If your storage requirements meet the requirements, whether you have one or 100, you're licensing the individual as a fit and proper person to be trusted to own firearms," he said.

Laws regarding firearms vary across Australia, but common requirements include a minimum 28-day wait for a firearms license, police background checks, and separate permits for each firearm. Wegman, a sporting shooter for 40 years, believes there are already sufficient safety measures in place and criticized lawmakers for lacking practical experience with firearms.

Campbell countered that public sentiment favors stricter gun control. "The vast bulk of Australians want to be safe. They want to feel safe, and to feel safe they want [fewer] guns around," he said. "If that means inconveniencing a small number of Australians, then so be it. The vast majority of Australians want fewer guns in the country."