Australian state Parliament to push through stricter gun laws after Bondi shooting
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
The Bondi Beach attack on Dec 14 in Australia has shocked the nation and sparked calls for tougher gun laws and heightened efforts to stop anti-Semitism.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SYDNEY – The Parliament of Australia’s New South Wales state was recalled on Dec 22 to vote on proposed new laws that would impose major curbs on firearm ownership, ban the display of terror symbols and restrict protests, following the mass shooting on Sydney’s Bondi Beach last week.
The state Parliament was recalled for two days to debate legislation that would cap the number of firearms a person can own at four, or up to 10 for certain groups, such as farmers.
Although Australia has some of the toughest gun control laws in the world, after a 1996 mass shooting that killed 35 people, the Bondi shooting
In New South Wales, the most populous state, there is currently no limit to firearm ownership if the reason can be justified to police, and there are more than 70 people in the state who own more than 100 guns, a police firearms registry shows.
One licence holder has 298 guns.
One of the alleged Bondi gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police and owned six firearms.
His 24-year-old son Naveed Akram has been charged with 59 offences
The two alleged gunmen had planned the attack for several months and threw bombs at the crowd, though they did not detonate, Australian media reported, citing a police fact sheet released by an Australian court on Dec 22.
Pictures included in the police report showed the father and son allegedly training with firearms in an isolated rural part of New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state and which includes Sydney.
Police found a video taken in October on one of the gunmen’s mobile phone showing them sitting in front of an image of ISIS and making statements in English about their reasons for the attack, while condemning the acts of Zionists.
Fifteen people were killed and dozens of others injured
The attack has shocked the nation and sparked calls for tougher gun laws and heightened efforts to stop anti-Semitism.
The proposed legislation would also give police more powers to remove face coverings during protests or rallies.
The state government has vowed to ban the chant “globalise the intifada”, which it says encourages violence in the community.
Tough rules
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters outside Parliament he expected opposition to the legislation, which includes restrictions on public assemblies in the aftermath of a terrorism event, but added that these are needed to keep the community safe.
“We have got a responsibility to knit together our community that comes from different races and religions and places from all over the world. We can do it in a peaceful way,” he said.
New South Wales has said it will hold a royal commission into the attack, the most powerful type of Australian government inquiry.
Jewish leaders have called for a national inquiry.
Ms Sussan Ley, leader of the opposition Liberal Party, backed those calls on Dec 22, and told a news conference that she has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to meet her to review the terms of reference for a royal commission.
People attending a vigil on Dec 21 honouring the victims and survivors of a deadly mass shooting that took place during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Dec 14.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Albanese approval dips
Mr Albanese has faced mounting criticism from opponents who argue his government has not done enough to curb a rise in anti-Semitism.
He was booed by sections of the crowd
His government has said it has consistently denounced anti-Semitism and highlighted legislation passed over the last two years to criminalise hate speech and doxxing.
It also expelled Iran’s ambassador
“You’ve seen us crack down on hate speech. You’ve seen us criminalise doxxing. You’ve seen us be very clear about counter-terrorism laws banning Nazi salutes and so forth,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC Radio on Dec 22.
A poll conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper among 1,010 voters released on Dec 22 found that Mr Albanese’s approval rating slumped 15 points to minus 9 from 6 at the beginning of December, the lowest since his resounding election win in May.
The authorities on Dec 22 started clearing flowers, candles, letters and other items placed by the public at Bondi Beach.
The tributes would be preserved for display at the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Australian Jewish Historical Society, the authorities said.
Thirteen people remain in hospital, including four in critical but stable condition, health officials said. REUTERS
