Australia is moving quickly after the deadly Bondi Beach massacre where two gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney killing 15 people and wounding dozens more.
In response Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a national gun buyback scheme the largest since the landmark reforms following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre aiming to take surplus newly banned and illegal firearms off Australian streets. The federal government will share the cost with the states and territories and expects hundreds of thousands of guns to be surrendered and destroyed under the new plan.
Authorities say one of the shooters held multiple legally registered firearms under current law highlighting loopholes and weaknesses that critics say must be closed. Australia has more than four million firearms in circulation more than at the time of the 1996 reforms.
The tragic attack which officials say was inspired by Islamic State ideology has also spurred a broader push to tighten hate crime laws and strengthen police powers with seven men recently detained in connection with suspected plots though no direct link to the Bondi attackers has been established.
Across the nation communities have been paying tribute to the victims. At Bondi Beach hundreds of surfers swimmers and supporters took to the water in a paddle‑out tribute a moving show of unity and remembrance for those lost in the tragedy.
And one man widely hailed a hero was honoured with substantial funds raised after he disarmed one of the attackers a testament to courage and community resilience in the face of horror.
As Australia moves forward with this sweeping gun reform effort the government and public alike are reflecting on an urgent question: how to prevent such violence from happening again while honouring the memory of those cut tragically short.
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