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{Australia announces plan to buy back firearms}
- Australia is responding too a mass shooting at a Hanukkah event near Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 17, 2023, which resulted in 15 fatalities and 41 injuries.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national day of mourning to allow families time to grieve and support those recovering from the attack.
- Along with the day of mourning, Albanese announced a nationwide gun buyback programme targeting "excess, newly banned and illegal firearms." This initiative aims to remove more firearms from...
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Australia Announces National Day of Mourning, Gun Buyback Following Bondi Beach Shooting
Table of Contents
Overview of the Bondi Beach attack
Australia is responding too a mass shooting at a Hanukkah event near Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 17, 2023, which resulted in 15 fatalities and 41 injuries. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Chrissy Barrett confirmed on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, that the attack was a terrorist act inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group (Reuters).
Government Response: National Mourning and Gun Buyback
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national day of mourning to allow families time to grieve and support those recovering from the attack. The date for the national day of mourning will be set in the new year (ABC News Australia). Albanese emphasized the shared grief, stating, “We are all united in our grief as Australians.”
Along with the day of mourning, Albanese announced a nationwide gun buyback programme targeting “excess, newly banned and illegal firearms.” This initiative aims to remove more firearms from Australian streets following the tragedy (Apollo.lv).
The buyback is described as the largest since 1996, when Australia implemented notable firearms law reforms after a mass shooting in Port Arthur, Tasmania, which claimed 35 lives. Albanese stated, “Australia’s firearms laws were substantially reformed after the Port Arthur tragedy. The terrible events in Bondi show we need to get more firearms off our streets.”
Past Context: The 1996 Port Arthur Massacre and Gun Control
The 1996 Port Arthur massacre remains the deadliest mass shooting in Australian history. The event prompted the then-Prime Minister John Howard to enact the National Firearms Agreement (NFA), a comprehensive set of gun control measures. Key provisions of the NFA included a ban on semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, a strict licensing and registration system, and a government-funded gun buyback scheme. (Australian parliament)
The 1996 buyback scheme removed approximately 640,000 firearms from circulation. Studies suggest that the NFA and subsequent buyback significantly reduced gun-related deaths in Australia (National Center for Biotechnology Facts).
Next steps and Ongoing Investigations
Investigations into the Bondi beach shooting are