Australia to Tighten Gun Laws After Bondi Beach Hanukkah Massacre
SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday announced sweeping new gun control measures following a terrorist attack at Bondi Beach that killed at least 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration. The proposed reforms represent the most significant changes to Australia’s firearms laws since the landmark 1996 Port Arthur massacre that transformed the nation’s approach to gun ownership.
“The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary,” Albanese declared following an emergency National Cabinet meeting. “Included in that is the need for tougher 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.”
