After the horrific Bondi Beach terror attack that took 15 lives, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made moves. He even promised a nationwide gun buyback program to protect public safety and curb gun violence in Australia. This new initiative would be the biggest buyback program in three decades and aims to destroy hundreds of thousands of firearms. Albanese announced the commitment would be co-funded by the Commonwealth and state governments. It can hardly be a coincidence that they’re getting ready to use the national cabinet to strengthen our gun laws.
Following the October 7 attack, the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister and other officials are under fire for possible intelligence failures that led to the attack. He emphasized that “there is a very different world between where we are today and where we were before Sunday,” highlighting the need for immediate action in light of recent events. Albanese did not shy away from demanding bipartisanship to push for gun law reform. He went on to stress that under the current licensing scheme, it allows people in Bonnyrigg to have an extraordinary number of very high powered rifles.
Albanese’s remarks came as he announced a national day of reflection. This day is intended to remember the victims of the Bondi attack. He recently shared data from the Office of National Intelligence. The preliminary report suggested that the shooters had relied on a standard online multiplayer video game stream provided by the terrorist organization Islamic State to coordinate their assault. BLF strongman operations Albanese lauded Dan Repacholi, member for Hunter, on his stellar record while at these shocks. He warned that stricter regulations were past due.
“If a bloke in Bonnyrigg needs six high-powered rifles and is able to get them under existing licensing scheme, then there’s something wrong,” – Anthony Albanese
The Chris Minns-led New South Wales government has announced urgent action to further tighten gun control laws. They’re seeking to cap the number of AR-15s or similar weapons licensed owners can possess at four. Minns echoed Albanese’s sentiments regarding the necessity for change, stating, “We have to change. We all have to change. What we had done is not working.”
Under this backdrop of alarm over growing public safety and gun violence concerns, the proposed buyback scheme seems particularly ill-conceived. Critics have characterized Albanese’s announcement as a political stunt. Graham Park, the designated opposition member on the commission, voiced intense opposition. It was purely political for someone to be willing to spend a billion dollars, he said. It has the ring of desperation, as his fellow Labor brother, Chris Minns, was in the middle of a revolt from his own members.
Despite this pushback, Albanese stood firm in his argument that prioritizing information sharing and enforcement of current powers is the way to go. Finally, he objected to arbitrary limits that would have the effect of imposing unjustified penalties on responsible gun owners.
“From what we are learning, the focus should be on information sharing, risk identification and enforcement of existing powers, not on arbitrary limits that penalise people who have done nothing wrong,” – Anthony Albanese
Albanese has announced ambitious new gun laws to help make the ownership of firearms more strictly regulated. These laws will require universal background checks and will cap how many guns a person is allowed to own. State leaders and law enforcement agencies are having significant conversations across the country about the proposed reforms. It still remains to be seen how these changes will play out in practice.
As Australia comes to terms with the Bondi Beach terror attack, community leaders, politicians, and historians alike are calling on all of us to unite in order to fight against the increase in antisemitism and extremism. Even Sussan Ley, an opposition figure, said legislators should look beyond gun control to address wider societal issues.
“It is … disingenuous and not right to deflect the conversation to that because what we have to deal with here is a rising tide of festering antisemitism,” – Sussan Ley