Monday 15 / December / 2025
Sydney: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that he had met with the leaders of the country's states and territories, and that the group had agreed to "strengthen gun laws across the nation."
They plan to introduce even more rigorous background checks, bar non-nationals from gaining firearms licenses, and further limit the kinds of weapons individuals can own.
The announcement came the day after an antisemitic attack on Sydney's famed Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead.
Some 1,000 people had gathered for a celebration to mark the first night of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
Two gunmen, identified only as a 50-year-old and 24-year-old father and son, opened fired on the crowd.
The older suspect was reportedly killed during the incident, and his son is in a hospital in critical condition.
Fifteen people were killed, including a Holocaust survivor, a local rabbi, and a 10-year-old girl.
While authorities are still investigating a motive, Albanese called it "an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores."
Police asked people not to jump to conclusions after reports of several instances of Islamophobic vandalism on Monday.
As panicked people fled the beach, some remind behind to comfort and help the wounded.
Local shopowner Ahmed al-Ahmed was then seen approaching one of the gunmen. A 43-year-old father with no experience with guns, he wrestled the firearm out of the assailant's hands.
At a press conference Sunday, New South Wales state premier Chris Minns hailed al-Ahmed as a "genuine hero."
"It's the most unbelievable scene I've ever seen — a man walking up to a gunman who had fired on the community and single-handedly disarming him, putting his own life at risk to save the lives of countless other people," he said.
Al-Ahmed's family said he was stable and recovering in a local hospital, having sustained gunshot wounds in the process of disarming the assailant.
World leaders express solidarity
"This attack was designed to target Sydney's Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah," said Minns.
"What should have been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community with families and supporters has been shattered," he added.
World leaders expressed their solidarity with those affected by the attack.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on social media "Europe stands with Australia and Jewish communities everywhere. We are united against violence, antisemitism and hatred."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also strongly condemned the attack and offered condolences to the victims and their families.
"We must realize that this attack on a Hanukkah celebration did not happen by chance. It is a pattern of antisemitic terror to choose holidays to murder innocent and defenseless people," said Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
"As the Jewish community in Germany, our thoughts are with our brothers and sisters in Australia," he added.
What are Australia's current gun laws?
Seen as a gold standard internationally, Australia has had roughly the same set of laws in place since a 1996 mass shooting in Tasmania that killed 35 people.
The government launched a massive buyback scheme for firearms, instituted background checks and national registers for firearms, and restricted access to automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
