Weekend Massacres Undermine Gun Control Claims

Two recent mass shootings have sparked renewed calls for stricter gun control measures, but evidence from these incidents demonstrates that such laws often fail to prevent violence.

On Sunday, a father-son team used legally acquired weapons to fire upon a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The attack killed 15 people and injured 39 others. The father was killed at the scene while his son sustained injuries.

The incident occurred one day before a similar event at Brown University in Rhode Island. During the shooting, an individual targeted a classroom where teaching assistant Rachel Friedberg was conducting a final exam review session for an introductory economics course. The gunman killed two students and injured nine others before fleeing.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to strengthen gun laws despite Australia already having some of the world’s most stringent regulations. He stated his government would “put on the agenda of the national cabinet tougher gun laws,” including restrictions on the number of firearms an individual can own or license.

This move has drawn praise from U.S. Congressional Democrats, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer noting: “If Australia can find courage to act after a tragedy like the one in Bondi Beach, Congress should certainly find the will to act after a tragedy like the one at Brown University.”

Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, has argued that these incidents are not about firearms but rather the perpetrators’ intent. “Rhode Island has very strong gun control laws already on the books, and murder has always been against the law,” he said, adding that Brown University is a gun-free zone. Gottlieb also noted that Australia’s stringent gun laws following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre did not prevent the Bondi Beach attack.

Additionally, Gottlieb pointed out that no California gun control measures prevented the stabbing death of Mr. Reiner and his wife. Police discovered the Australian attackers had brought homemade explosive devices with them.

The attacks have raised questions about potential anti-Jewish motives, particularly given Rachel Friedberg’s background: she previously taught economics at Hebrew University of Jerusalem for four years and has testified before Congress and participated in Knesset committee deliberations. However, this connection remains speculative.