The Australian government has announced its largest national gun buyback scheme in nearly three decades, following the country’s deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
The move comes in direct response to last Sunday’s attack at Bondi Beach, which left 15 people dead.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the new measures, stating there are now over 4 million firearms in Australia—more than existed at the time of the Port Arthur tragedy.
He highlighted that one of the Bondi attackers held a firearms license and legally owned six guns despite living in suburban Sydney.
“If you’re going to reduce the number of guns, then a buyback scheme has to be a piece of that puzzle,” said Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett.
The scheme, to be jointly funded by federal and state governments, aims to purchase and destroy hundreds of thousands of surplus, banned, and illegal firearms.
In addition to the buyback, national cabinet has agreed to a suite of new restrictions, including:
- Individual firearm limits to cap the number of guns one person can own.
- Tighter licensing rules, including making Australian citizenship a mandatory condition.
- Restrictions on open-ended licenses and the types of legal firearms.
- An accelerated national firearms register with better access to criminal intelligence for regulators.
The attack has been declared a terrorist incident, motivated by Islamic State ideology. The alleged perpetrators were a father-son duo; 24-year-old Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder, while his father, Sajid, was killed during the incident.
In a separate development, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon announced the imminent release of seven men with extremist ideology who were detained in Sydney. While no direct link to the Bondi attackers was established, Commissioner Lanyon stated the group posed a potential violent threat, with Bondi Beach being one of their intended destinations. They will continue to be monitored.
By James Kisoo
