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Sydney, December 15 (ANI) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he will take tougher gun laws to a National Cabinet meeting, indicating possible tightening of Australia’s strict firearms rules after the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach.
Speaking to media ahead of the 4:00 pm meeting, Albanese said the agenda would include stricter controls such as limits on the number of firearms licensed to individuals and periodic reviews of licences. “This afternoon, at four o’clock, I will put on the agenda of the national cabinet tougher gun laws, including limits on the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals, a review of licences over a period of time,” he said. He added, “People’s circumstances change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity.”
Albanese said the federal government would present a proposal to strengthen monitoring mechanisms. “The Australian government will take to national Cabinet this afternoon a proposal to empower agencies to examine what can be done in this area,” he said.
Later, Albanese convened National Cabinet in response to what he described as an act of terror and antisemitism in Bondi. In a post on X he said: “Today I convened National Cabinet to respond to the act of terror and antisemitism in Bondi last night. We stand with Jewish Australians and we stand against hatred and violence. Australia is stronger than those who try to divide us and we will come through this together.”
The attack targeted members of the Jewish community gathered for Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, CNN reported. Authorities have declared the incident a terrorist attack. New South Wales Health said 27 people remain hospitalised across Sydney after the mass shooting.
Investigators say the attack was carried out by a father-son duo. Police shot and killed the father at the scene; the 24-year-old son is being treated in hospital. Officials said the son, born in Australia, had previously been assessed by the domestic intelligence agency ASIO, which found no indication at the time that he posed a threat of violence. The father, who arrived in Australia in 1998, held a recreational hunting licence and was a member of a gun club, CNN reported.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns vowed an “overwhelming” response as security remains heightened nationwide.
Australia already enforces some of the world’s toughest gun laws, introduced nearly three decades ago after a mass shooting in Tasmania killed 35 people and prompted sweeping reforms that sharply restricted gun ownership and introduced strict licensing rules, CNN noted.
Official data from the Australian Institute of Criminology shows that between July 2023 and June 2024 Australia recorded 31 gun-related murders, a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 people. (ANI)
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