PM Albanese Vows Toughest Gun Laws After Bondi Attackers Revealed as Father and Son
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to introduce tougher national gun control legislation after authorities confirmed the devastating mass shooting at Bondi Beach was carried out by a father and son duo, one of whom was a licensed firearms holder who legally owned six guns. The attack, which targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sunday and left at least 15 people dead, has been classified as an act of antisemitic terrorism and has prompted a national reckoning over Australia’s celebrated but nearly three-decade-old gun laws.
The two attackers were identified by police as Sajid Akram, 50, who was killed by police at the scene, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24, who was critically wounded and remains in custody. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed on Monday that the elder assailant, Sajid Akram, possessed a Category A/B recreational hunting license for about ten years and was legally entitled to own the six long-arm firearms recovered at the scene. This revelation shocked the nation and immediately fueled the Prime Minister’s call for legislative change.
Prime Minister Albanese addressed reporters on Monday, stating he would bring an emergency plan to the National Cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders later in the day. The core of his proposed reforms focuses on closing the loophole exposed by the attack: licenses that allow individuals to accumulate multiple weapons over time and the lack of oversight on long-term license holders. “The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary,” Albanese stated. “People’s circumstances can change. People can be radicalized over a period of time. Licenses should not be in perpetuity,” he asserted, referencing reports that the younger attacker, Naveed Akram, was previously known to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) for links to an Islamic State cell in 2019. Proposed changes include limiting the total number of firearms an individual can legally own and instituting periodic reviews of all firearms licenses. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has publicly backed the federal push, pledging to introduce state legislation to make it significantly more difficult to access the type of high-powered weapons used in the massacre.
