The Australian government is planning major gun law reforms after 15 innocent people were killed when a father and son opened fire at a Jewish Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach.
Sixteen people have died after the terrorist attack in Sydney on Sunday night – including one of the two gunmen.
The victims of the attack were aged between 10 and 87 and 42 others were injured. Among them were two police officers.
The alleged shooter, Naveed Akram, 24, remained in hospital under police guard while his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead in the exchange of gunfire with police.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said his government was already looking at potential law reforms around gun ownership.
“I made it clear [on Sunday night] that we’ll take every step possibly we can to keep our community safe,” Minns told local media.
“And we’ll be looking at law reform along that route.”
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the mass shooting, with Israel President Isaac Herzog labelling the gunmen as “vile terrorists”.
Albanese called the shooting “a dark day in Australia’s history”.
“We are stronger than the cowards who did this.
“The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary,“ Albanese said.
He mentioned reviewing limits on the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals, a review of licenses, and ensuring that checks and balances are in place for gun holders in Australia.
“People’s circumstances change. People can be radicalised over a period of time,” he said.
“If we need to toughen these [laws] up, if there’s anything we can do, I’m certainly up for it, and I hope to get National Cabinet on board for that this afternoon as well.”
The 50-year-old suspect had the legal right to possess a firearm, police said at a news conference in New South Wales yesterday.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the suspect met the eligibility criteria for a firearms licence.
“So the firearms licence was to be for a recreational hunting licence. There are two types of hunting licence: the ability to hunt on a property or also as part of a hunting club – so a gun club,” Lanyon said.
“He was a member of a gun club and was entitled by nature of the firearms act to have a firearms licence issued.”
The licence the man had allowed him to own the “long arms that he had” as registered guns, Lanyon said.
A 10-year-old girl, a rabbi who had a 2-month-old child, a Holocaust survivor, citizens of France and Israel and a young police officer were the first known victims, local media reported.
The killings targeted Australians celebrating a Jewish Hanukkah festival, called Chanukah by the Sea.
The youngest victim was named by her family yesterday as 10-year-old Matilda Poltavchenko.
The girl’s aunt announced her death on Facebook, writing: “A great tragedy has happened to my family.”
A heroic civilian who tackled and disarmed one of the Bondi gunmen has been named as a 43-year-old fruit shop owner and father of two, Ahmed al Ahmed.
A Kiwi woman, Tiffany Salmond, who witnessed the attack, described sprinting from the scene in “pure panic” as the shots went off.
Salmond told Herald NOW she was about 20m from the bridge from where the gunmen were firing at people when the shooting began.
“I was pretty shocked I was that close, but I had no idea where the gunshots were coming from – I just knew it sounded close, so I sprinted for my life.
“It was terrifying.”
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