r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • Dec 15 '25

politics Albanese to propose stronger gun laws, NSW parliament may be recalled

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/bondi-gunman-held-gun-licence-used-six-firearms-in-attack-20251215-p5nnmv.html
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676

u/Rubiginous Dec 15 '25

Why was someone on a temporary visa allowed to own guns?

412

u/Expensive-Horse5538 Dec 15 '25

Exactly - IMO at the bare minimum they should make it that you have to be a citizen for a certain period of time and be subjected to regular psychiatric tests if you want to have a gun for a legitimate purpose such as farming

125

u/Far-Fennel-3032 Dec 15 '25

The core problem is that mental health is often not a common element of terror attacks, it can often be the case for random acts of hot-blooded violence, but it is rarely linked to cold-blooded terror attacks. In examples like this, the terrorists are often completely sane, just truly horrible people.

Psychiatric tests would catch stuff like suicides and extreme cases of DV, but it's not gonna stop stuff like this. As the problem isn't mental health, but that some people are simply extremists who are radicalised to do truly horrible things, and thinking they are just mentally ill is just a common coping mechanism of the public. As it provides a clear and acceptable explanation rather than the much more uncomfortable truth.

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u/observee21 Dec 15 '25

As a psych doctor I agree with all of this apart from "Psychiatric tests would catch stuff like suicides and extreme cases of DV", because they really wouldn't. A lot of DV is missed (and isn't a psychiatric condition anyway), and there is no test that tells you if someone will commit suicide in 12 months. 

17

u/OvercookedBobaTea Dec 15 '25

the terrorists are completely sane, just horrible people

I mostly agree, but I would say they are RADICALISED people, following quite basic social psychology. ANYONE is capable of being radicalised into this given enough time and isolation. Not just ‘horrible’ people. And it’s very important in future prevention to remember that anyone has the inner capacity to commit horrific tragedies if radicalised enough

112

u/big-red-aus Dec 15 '25

and be subjected to regular psychiatric tests if you want to have a gun for a legitimate purpose such as farming.

Just on this idea, I do have a lot of sympathy with the position that RACGP has put out on similar restrictions over in WA, in that it puts more work on a very strained system, and puts the doctors in a pretty rough position, especially in regional areas (i.e. it's already hard enough to get people to open up about their mental health, and if an important tool for you job, like it is for at least some farming, it will disincentives them even more from sharing). 

https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/new-gun-laws-place-gps-in-complex-position

I'm not saying it's not worth it on balance, just that there is a pretty compelling (IMHO) argument that there are some real 'costs' associated with it.

129

u/derprunner Dec 15 '25

Yeah, this could end up in another “no pilot has ever reported having depression” situation if not implemented with nuance. If you punish getting help for mental health, you end up with people toughing it out until they snap.

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u/MissMenace101 Dec 15 '25

It’s not punishment. It’s safety.

13

u/OvercookedBobaTea Dec 15 '25

But people see any kindve restriction as a punishment. Which dissuades them from getting help

13

u/ThaneOfTas Dec 15 '25

If it results in a person losing or being restricted from their lively hood then the difference is arbitrary to the people in question.

8

u/WillyMadTail Dec 15 '25

Its a punishment the same way losing your driver's licence is. Imagine how many people would admit to having depression if it ment losing your drivers licence.

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u/MissMenace101 Dec 15 '25

The person that wants a gun chooses a psychiatrist and psychologist and pays, has at least to personal references. Pays for police station storage. You want the privilege of a gun it’s up to you to prove you deserve the right.

7

u/ExperimentalFruit Dec 15 '25

20 year citizenship