Australia Proposes Tougher Gun Laws After Bondi Beach Hanukkah Shooting
THE LATEST:
* 15 killed, at least 38 others treated in hospitals after 2 shooters fire on Hanukkah party at Australia’s moast popular beach
* 1 suspect dead, another in a coma, were father and son, investigators say
* Attack was act of terrorism, says Australian government
* Shooter amassed 6 guns legally, PM says
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese proposed tougher national gun laws on Monday after a mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, leaving at least 15 people dead.
Albanese said he would propose new restrictions, including limiting the number of guns a licensed owner can obtain. His proposals were announced after the authorities revealed that the older of the two gunmen – who were a father and son – had held a gun license for a decade and amassed his six guns legally.
“The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws,” Albanese told reporters.
“People’s circumstances can change.People can be radicalized over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity,” he added.
At least 38 people were being treated in hospitals after the massacre on Sunday, when the two shooters fired indiscriminately on the beachfront festivities. Those killed ranged from 10 to 87 years old and included a young girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor.
Among those confirmed dead was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and an organizer of the family Hanukkah event that was targeted, according to Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish movement that runs outreach worldwide.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of an Israeli citizen but gave no further details. French President Emmanuel Macron said a French citizen, identified as Dan Elkayam, was among those killed.
People in Sydney,Australia,praised Ahmed al-Ahmed after he was identified as the bystander who charged a gunman during a mass shooting event,praising his bravery for rushing into a dangerous situation. Al-Ahmed’s family has said he is in hospital after surgery for bullet wounds.
Larisa Kleytman told reporters outside St.Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney that h
Bondi Beach shooting Renews Focus on Gun Control, Antisemitism in Australia
SYDNEY – A lone gunman killed seven people, including a pregnant woman, and wounded several others in a shooting at a crowded shopping mall in Bondi Junction, a suburb of Sydney, on Saturday. The attacker, identified as 40-year-old Farhad Jafari, was later shot and killed by police.
The attack has reignited the debate over gun control in Australia, which enacted strict firearms laws in 1996 following a mass shooting in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Those laws considerably reduced gun violence,and Australia has not experienced a mass shooting of this scale in decades.
“The fact that this has happened at all is a shock,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a press conference following the tragedy. “We need to look at how this has happened, and we need to ensure that everything is done to prevent something like this happening again.”
While Australia has strict gun laws, including a national firearms registry and restrictions on the types of firearms available, questions are being raised about how Jafari obtained the weapon used in the attack. Police have stated the attacker used a knife, but initial reports indicated a firearm was involved, causing confusion and prompting calls for a review of existing regulations.
The shooting also brought into sharp focus the issue of antisemitism in Australia. The victims were targeted at Bondi Junction, a suburb with a large Jewish population, and the attack occurred on the last day of Passover. While authorities have not officially designated the shooting as an antisemitic act,the timing and location have raised concerns within the Jewish community.
“This is a horrific act of violence, and our thoughts are with the victims and their families,” said Dale Baginski, CEO of the NSW Jewish board of Deputies. “We are deeply concerned about the potential for this attack to be motivated by antisemitism,and we urge authorities to investigate this possibility thoroughly.”
Concerns about antisemitic acts have been growing in Australia as the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. Jewish leaders and the massacre’s survivors expressed fear and fury as they questioned why the men hadn’t been detected before they opened fire.
“There’s been a heap of inaction,” said Lawrence Stand, a Sydney man who raced to a bar mitzvah celebration in Bondi when the violence erupted to find his 12-year-old daughter. “But the people were warned about this…. And still not enough has been done by our government.”
Rabbi Benjamin Elton, whose Sydney synagogue is near the site of the Bondi Beach attack, says the mass shooting comes amid an “antisemitic onslaught.”
The attack has prompted an outpouring of grief and support from across Australia and around the world. Flags were flown at half-mast, and vigils were held to honor the victims. The incident has also sparked a national conversation about the need to address both gun violence and antisemitism in Australian society.
Bondi beach Shooting: Suspect Had Gun Licence for Sport, Son Investigated Years Prior
Sydney, Australia – the man who killed six people at Bondi Junction Westfield shopping center in Sydney on Saturday possessed a valid gun license, authorities have confirmed. The 40-year-old suspect, who was later shot and killed by police, held a license permitting him to own a rifle or shotgun for legitimate sporting and recreational purposes.
According to New South wales Police Assistant Commissioner Joel Lanyon,the license was granted based on a “genuine reason” – a requirement for gun ownership in Australia. Acceptable reasons include target shooting, recreational hunting, and vermin control. Self-defence is not considered a valid reason for obtaining a gun license. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australia-bondi-beach-shooting-1.7206999
The shooter arrived in Australia from overseas in 1998 on a student visa and was an australian resident at the time of his death. Authorities have not yet publicly disclosed the country of origin.
His 24-year-old son, who was injured in the attack and initially in a coma, is now reported to be conscious and cooperating with police. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-bondi-beach-shopping-centre-shooting-what-we-know-2024-04-15/ Lanyon indicated the son “may well” face criminal charges and authorities are being careful not to release facts that could jeopardize a potential prosecution.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed that the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) investigated the son in 2019 for six months. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australia-bondi-beach-shooting-1.7206999
Reports from the australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) suggest that ASIO’s investigation focused on the son’s connections to a Sydney-based cell linked to the Islamic State group. Albanese clarified that ASIO was primarily interested in the son’s associates, not the son himself, and steadfast at the time that he did not pose an ongoing threat of violence. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-bondi-beach-shopping-centre-shooting-what-we-know-2024-04-15/
Australia’s Gun Laws: Australia has strict gun control laws implemented after a mass shooting in 1996. These laws include a national gun registry, restrictions on semi-automatic weapons, and stringent licensing requirements. The “genuine reason” requirement is a key component, aiming to limit gun ownership to those with legitimate, non-self-defense purposes. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68884499
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