Australia to Tighten Gun Laws

Immediate Reforms Target Gun Ownership Limits

The National Cabinet announced several “immediate” priorities including stricter limits on the number of firearms a person can own, a crackdown on 3D-printed weapons, tighter controls on gun imports, and restrictions on equipment that can hold large amounts of ammunition.

Police ministers and attorneys-general across the nation have been tasked with developing additional policies, including requiring all license-holders to be Australian citizens, implementing deeper background checks, and conducting more regular reviews once someone has a permit. The government is also considering stricter limits on the types of guns that are legal.

Critically, the reforms would end lifetime gun licenses. “Licences should not be in perpetuity,” Albanese said, proposing that gun owners face periodic reviews to maintain their permits. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns added that the changes would require legislation “making it more difficult to get these horrifying weapons that have no practical use in our community.”

Attack Exposes Gaps in Current Gun Laws

The massacre on Sunday evening at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach represents the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since 1996. Two gunmen opened fire on approximately 1,000 people gathered to mark the first night of Hanukkah, in what authorities have declared a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community.

The shooting erupted around 6:45 PM local time as families celebrated at Bondi Beach. The attackers, armed with semi-automatic rifles, systematically targeted participants in the religious ceremony before turning their weapons on other beachgoers. Victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years old, including a Holocaust survivor, a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, and two rabbis.

The attack has exposed critical weaknesses in Australia’s gun control framework. The elder gunman, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was a licensed firearms holder who had legally accumulated six weapons over a decade. Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed that Akram “met the eligibility criteria for a firearms license” and held a “recreational hunting license” as a member of a gun club.

Crucially, Akram was not an Australian citizen. He arrived in the country in 1998 on a student visa and later transferred to a partner visa in 2001 after marrying a local woman. This legal loophole has prompted the government to propose restricting gun ownership to Australian citizens only – a measure that would have prevented Akram from legally acquiring his weapons.

Son Was Previously Investigated by Intelligence Services

The younger gunman, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, was an Australian-born citizen who did not hold a gun license. However, he had been investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in 2019 over alleged ties to an ISIS cell in Sydney.

The investigation lasted six months before authorities concluded there was no indication of an ongoing threat. Albanese confirmed the investigation on Monday, stating: “He was examined on the basis of being associated with others and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.”

The government’s proposed use of “additional criminal intelligence” in deciding gun license eligibility could mean that investigations like the one into Naveed Akram would disqualify family members from gun ownership. According to ABC News Australia, counterterrorism investigators now believe both suspects had pledged allegiance to ISIS, with police reportedly discovering an Islamic State flag and explosive devices in their vehicle.

Australia’s Gun Control Legacy Under Scrutiny

Australia has long been held up as a global model for gun control following the Port Arthur massacre of April 28, 1996, when gunman Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded 23 others at a tourist site in Tasmania.

Within two weeks of that tragedy, Prime Minister John Howard implemented the National Firearms Agreement, which banned fully automatic and semiautomatic weapons, created extensive licensing and registration procedures, and instituted a gun buyback program that removed approximately 700,000 firearms from circulation. A 28-day waiting period for gun sales was also introduced.

From 1984 to 1996, Australia experienced 13 mass shootings. In the 10.5 years following the gun buyback announcement, no mass shootings occurred – until Sunday’s attack, nearly three decades later.

However, a May 2024 report by the Australia Institute revealed significant gaps in implementation. “Australia still allows minors to hold firearm licenses, still lacks a National Firearms Register, and still has inconsistent laws that make enforcement difficult,” the report stated. Despite the 1996 buyback, there are now over four million registered privately owned firearms in Australia – 800,000 more than before the reforms.

Tim Quinn from Gun Control Australia expressed shock at Sunday’s attack: “Australians are so proud of their gun laws, and we proved yesterday that we’re not free of these types of massive tragedies. I’m shocked and horrified and so disappointed with where Australia is at today, considering what a fantastic 30 years we’ve had since Port Arthur.”

Critics Question Government Response to Antisemitism

The attack has fueled criticism that authorities have not done enough to combat a surge in antisemitic crimes. Alex Ryvchin, spokesperson for the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told reporters: “I think the federal government has made a number of missteps on antisemitism. I think when an attack such as what we saw yesterday takes place, the paramount and fundamental duty of government is the protection of its citizens, so there’s been an immense failure.”

Lawrence Stand, a Sydney man who raced to the scene when the violence erupted to find his 12-year-old daughter, said: “There’s been a heap of inaction.”

What the New Gun Laws Would Change

The proposed reforms would fundamentally alter Australia’s gun ownership framework in several key ways:

Citizenship Requirement: Only Australian citizens would be permitted to hold gun licenses, excluding permanent residents and visa holders. This change alone would have prevented Sajid Akram, who held a partner visa, from legally owning the six firearms used in the attack.

License Expiration: Gun licenses would no longer be issued in perpetuity. Owners would face regular reviews to maintain their permits, ensuring that changes in circumstances or associations could trigger revocation.

Quantity Limits: The government plans to restrict the number of firearms an individual can own. Sajid Akram’s accumulation of six weapons as a suburban recreational shooter has raised questions about why such arsenals are permitted for non-professional use.

Enhanced Background Checks: The “additional use of criminal intelligence” would mean that investigations into associates – like the 2019 ASIO probe into Naveed Akram’s ISIS connections – could disqualify family members from gun ownership.

Technology Controls: New restrictions on 3D-printed weapons, novel firearm technology, and high-capacity ammunition equipment would address emerging threats that didn’t exist when the 1996 reforms were implemented.

Import Restrictions: Tighter controls on firearms entering the country would close another avenue for weapons acquisition.

National Firearms Register: Albanese emphasized the urgent need to create a unified national database, noting that some jurisdictions still relied on paper records. “We are responding in a really practical way,” he said. “If there’s more that can be done, we will do it.”

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation, established after Port Arthur, welcomed the reforms. Founder Walter Mikac said: “This is a horrific reminder of the need to stay vigilant against hate and violence, and of the importance of ensuring our gun laws continue to protect the safety of all Australians.”

Rising Antisemitism in Australia

Hero Bystander Disarmed Gunman

Amid the carnage, 43-year-old fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed emerged as an unlikely hero. Video footage captured Ahmed crouching behind a parked car before rushing one of the gunmen from behind, wrestling the rifle away after a brief struggle.

“Ahmed is a real-life hero,” declared New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who visited Ahmed in the hospital. “His incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk.”

During the struggle, Ahmed was shot twice by the second gunman, once in his arm and once in his hand. The father of two girls underwent surgery Sunday night and is recovering at St George Hospital. A GoFundMe campaign established for Ahmed has raised over 1.4 million Australian dollars (approximately $930,000), with billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman contributing nearly $100,000.

Ahmed’s parents, who recently arrived from Syria several months ago, told media their son had been in Australia since 2006. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Ahmed during a government meeting, saying, “We saw an action of a brave man, turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him, that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews.”

Rising Antisemitism in Australia

The attack comes against a backdrop of surging antisemitism across Australia. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry documented 2,062 anti-Jewish incidents between October 2023 and September 2024, more than quadruple the 495 incidents recorded the previous year. The 2024 figure represents almost five times the average annual number before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Data from Community Security Group NSW shows 1,045 antisemitic incidents recorded in 2024, a 26% increase from 2023’s 830 incidents and the highest number ever recorded by the organization.

Previous Attacks on Jewish Sites

In December 2024, an Orthodox synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed, destroying holy books and injuring one witness. Prime Minister Albanese stated that the attack was an act of terrorism. In August 2024, Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador after ASIO concluded that Tehran had directed arson attacks on a kosher food company in Sydney and Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue.

Dionne Taylor, communications manager for the Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council, told CNN, “We are not surprised by last night’s attack. We are shocked, but we are not surprised. Every attack that has happened up until last night was the warning sign that last night was inevitable.”

International Condemnation

Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram to the archbishop of Sydney expressing deep sadness over the loss of “members of the Jewish community gathered for a Hanukkah celebration.” The pontiff called for an end to antisemitic violence, writing on social media, “Let us #PrayTogether for all those who suffer due to war and violence. Enough with this antisemitic violence! Let us eliminate hatred from our hearts.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he had warned Albanese three months ago that Australia’s policies were “pouring oil on the fire of antisemitism,” referring to a letter he sent in August following Canberra’s announcement that it would recognize Palestinian statehood.

Jewish leaders from the world’s seven largest diaspora communities had convened in Sydney earlier this month to call for action against antisemitism in Australia. Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, told CNN that grief has turned to anger toward the government, which he said has missed opportunities to tackle rising antisemitic sentiment. “The government appointed a commissioner on antisemitism that’s made some recommendations which have not been adopted yet,” Gregory said.

Investigation Continues

Police conducted raids at multiple properties linked to the suspects, including the family home in Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s far western suburbs and a short-term rental in Campsie where the pair had been staying prior to the attack. Two firearms and several suitcases were seized from the Campsie property.

Naveed Akram’s mother, Verena, expressed disbelief at her son’s involvement. “He doesn’t have a firearm. He doesn’t even go out. He doesn’t mix around with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald. “He goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise, and that’s it.”

According to reports, Naveed had been working as a bricklayer until about two months ago when the company he worked for became insolvent. A former colleague described him as a strange but hard worker who had an interest in hunting and spoke about shooting rabbits and other game around Crookwell in New South Wales’ southern tablelands.

Community Mourns

Vigils and memorial services have been held across Sydney, with crowds gathering at Bondi Beach to pay tribute to the victims. Flowers and candles have been placed at the Bondi Pavilion in memory of those killed. The Australian and Aboriginal flags flew at half-staff on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Parliament House in Canberra also lowered its flag.

Prime Minister Albanese described Bondi Beach as a place “associated with joy, associated with families gathering, associated with celebrations.” He added, “It is forever tarnished by what has occurred.”

Bondi Beach, located about 4 miles east of Sydney’s city center, is one of Australia’s most iconic locations and popular with surfers and tourists. During summer, it can attract up to 50,000 visitors a day.

Commissioner Lanyon stated that police “know very little” about the suspects’ backgrounds and that investigations are ongoing. If Naveed Akram survives his injuries, he is expected to face multiple charges including terrorism offenses and murder.

The attack has sent shockwaves through Australia’s Jewish community of approximately 117,000 people in a country of 27 million. As Uriya Shavit, who oversees an annual report on global antisemitism from Tel Aviv University, stated: “This was really one of the safest communities for Jews in history, characterized by religious tolerance and coexistence, and now Australian Jews are seriously asking whether they have a future in the country.”