The Australian government has launched its largest gun buyback scheme since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Friday, in direct response to the terrorist shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 dead. This initiative aims to curb the proliferation of firearms by purchasing surplus, newly banned, and illegal weapons, with an estimated hundreds of thousands set to be collected and destroyed.
Sunday’s attack, which authorities have declared a terrorist incident, was carried out by a father-son duo motivated by Islamic State ideology. The assailants opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens in what has been described as Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in decades. In the aftermath, national cabinet agreed to tighten gun controls, recognizing the urgent need to address firearm accessibility.
The buyback scheme will be funded equally by the federal government and state and territorial authorities, ensuring a coordinated national effort. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett emphasized that reducing the number of guns is essential, noting that one of the alleged terrorists held a firearm licence and owned six guns despite living in suburban Sydney. This case highlighted the gaps in current regulations that the new measures seek to close.
Australia’s gun control history is marked by the Port Arthur massacre, which led to world-leading reforms and a significant buyback that removed over 650,000 firearms. However, Albanese pointed out that there are now more than four million firearms in the country, surpassing pre-Port Arthur levels. The new scheme is designed to reverse this trend and prevent future tragedies by systematically reducing the stockpile of weapons.
In addition to the buyback, national cabinet has imposed limits on the number of firearms an individual can own, restricted open-ended licensing, and mandated Australian citizenship for firearm licence holders. Work on a national firearms register will be accelerated, and regulators will gain better access to criminal intelligence to enhance oversight and prevent misuse.
The government also announced a national day of reflection for this Sunday, exactly one week after the attack, urging Australians to light candles at 6:47 PM local time. Albanese described the Bondi shooting as an attack on both the Jewish community and the Australian way of life, linking it to rising anti-Semitism since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and Israel’s war on Gaza. He has pledged tougher hate speech laws to combat this “evil scourge.”
As the country mourns, hundreds gathered at Bondi Beach for a paddle-out tribute, symbolizing resilience and community solidarity. The gun buyback represents a proactive step towards safety, but it also underscores the broader challenges of addressing extremism and hate crimes. With the scheme set to roll out in collaboration with states and territories, Australia is reaffirming its commitment to stringent gun control while grappling with the social fractures exposed by the attack.
