Australia is debating reforms to its gun laws—already among the strictest in the world—after Sunday's deadly mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach. The elder of the father-son shooting suspects had a license to own firearms, New South Wales police say. He allegedly owned six weapons, four of which were found at the scene, per the Guardian. Speaking Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will ask his Cabinet to look at capping how many weapons a license holder can own and whether licenses should expire sooner, per Reuters. "People can be radicalized over a period of time," he said, adding that gun permits "should not be in perpetuity."
Australia overhauled its gun laws just 12 days after a 1996 mass shooting in Port Arthur, banning most semi-automatic weapons, launching a large-scale buyback program, and tightening licensing rules. Those changes are widely credited with helping drive Australia's gun homicide rate to among the lowest in the world. But legal gun numbers have been quietly climbing: the Australia Institute says there are now about 4 million registered firearms in private hands, more than before the 1996 reforms.
Gun Control Australia president Tim Quinn said the Bondi attack "feels unimaginable here," arguing that is "a testament to the strength of our gun laws," but urged a detailed review of whether enforcement and legislation have kept pace with "changing risks and technologies." New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has already said he will recall state parliament to fast-track tighter firearms rules. "I'm determined to introduce the toughest gun legislation in the country and I believe it needs to be passed and put into legislation as soon as possible," he said, per the Guardian. Some have predicted new restrictions on the quantity and type of guns approved, with licenses restricted to Australian citizens. The father was not a citizen, the Guardian reports.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
