Australia Reassesses Gun Laws Following Deadly Bondi Beach Attack: Lessons from Port Arthur to Present

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared openness to strengthening gun control measures following a deadly shooting at Bondi Beach.

In the wake of a tragic shooting where two gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish religious gathering in Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that gun licenses should not be permanent as individuals can become radicalized over time.

During a media briefing, Albanese indicated plans to propose new restrictions, including limitations on the number of firearms a licensed owner can possess.

Investigators have discovered that one of the shooters, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was affiliated with a gun recreation club and legally owned six firearms. The second shooter was identified as his 24-year-old son, Naveed.

"The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws," Albanese stated. "People's circumstances can change. People can be radicalized over a period of time. Licenses should not be in perpetuity," he emphasized.

The Prime Minister noted that gun control legislation is divided between commonwealth and state jurisdictions. "What we want to do is to make sure that we're all completely on the same page."

This incident draws parallels to Australia's previous major reform of gun laws. On April 28, 1996, Martin Bryant, a lone gunman armed with two licensed semi-automatic rifles, killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, a popular tourist destination.

Nine years before the Port Arthur tragedy, Barry Unsworth, then premier of New South Wales, had prophetically stated after a failed national gun summit: "It will take a massacre in Tasmania before we get gun reform in Australia."

Within two weeks of the Port Arthur shooting, then-Prime Minister John Howard implemented stringent gun control laws, initiating a gun buyback program and establishing a licensing system designed to identify individuals deemed unfit to possess firearms.

Following the 1996 reforms, Australia achieved one of the lowest per capita gun homicide rates globally. However, a report by the Australia Institute think tank cited by Reuters indicates that the number of legal firearms has gradually increased over the years, now exceeding pre-crackdown levels.

Sajid Akram, who was killed during police action at Bondi Beach, had arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998. In 2001, he secured a visa granted to partners of Australian citizens or permanent residents.

His gun license permitted an adult with a "genuine reason" to own up to six rifles or shotguns. Acceptable reasons include target shooting, recreational hunting, and vermin control.

During the attack, Sajid was accompanied by his son Naveed. They specifically targeted a Jewish religious gathering at Bondi Beach that was celebrating the first day of the Hanukkah festival. This tragic incident has profoundly challenged Australia's confidence in the adequacy of its current gun control regulations.