Australia announced gun buyback scheme in wake of Bondi attack
The Australian government has announced a gun buyback plan following the Bondi Beach attack, the deadliest mass shooting in decades.
The plan is the biggest since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which killed 35 people and led Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures.
On Sunday, 15 people were killed and dozens injured when two gunmen believed to be motivated by the “Islamic State ideology” opened fire on a Jewish festival on the country’s most iconic beach.
Police on Friday said a group of men arrested in Sydney after traveling from the state of Victoria had “extremist Islamic ideology”.
Police allege Sunday’s attack, which they declared a terrorist incident, was carried out by a father-son duo. Naveed Akram, 24, is charged with 59 crimes, including 15 murders and one act of terrorism. His father Sajid was killed during the attack.
The day after the shooting, the national cabinet, which included representatives from the federal government and leaders from all states and territories, agreed to tighten gun controls.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there are currently more than 4 million firearms in Australia; This number is higher than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre.
“We know that one of these terrorists, despite living in the middle of a Sydney suburb, had a firearms licence, and had six guns… There is no reason why someone in that situation would need that many guns.
“We need to get more guns off our streets.”
Earlier on Friday, a senior New South Wales police officer told national broadcaster ABC that seven people arrested by counter-terrorism police in Sydney on Thursday evening may have been heading to Bondi.
In dramatic scenes in the Liverpool suburb, tactical officers swarmed the group, who had arrived from Victoria and were known to police there.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said there were “some indications” that Bondi was one of the places they were considering visiting, but “at this stage there is no specific intent or evidence they have in mind”.
Rarely used national security powers were relied upon to be put in place before plans were developed.
“As far as what they could do…we decided we weren’t going to take any chances,” he said.
Mr Hudson added that officers found a knife but no gun or other weapon.
