Australian: Following the deadly mass shooting in Bondi, the state of NSW strengthens its gun and protest regulations
Australian : Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said Wednesday that the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has implemented strict new gun and protest regulations in reaction to the deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
Just before three in the morning local time on Wednesday, the measure, which combined gun regulations with a three-month ban on demonstrations, passed 18 votes to eight, according to ABC. It also contained a crucial amendment that tightened gun rules for those with suspected terrorist ties.
It also said that the measure was returned to the lower house for rubber-stamping.
On December 14, 15 people were murdered in a mass shooting that targeted a celebration of the first day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that the Bondi Beach terror assault would cause “grief and sadness” over the Christmas season.
At a news conference in Canberra, Albanese said that the December 14 shooting massacre of 15 people at a Jewish celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach was an antisemitic assault on the Jewish community and an assault on “Australian values and on Australian society.”
He acknowledged that many people will experience a different Christmas season as a consequence of the incident, but he also commended Australians for their bravery, generosity, and compassion.
“What is normally a time of celebration and family and faith will this year be colored by grief and sadness, but in the weeks since the attack, we’ve also seen the best of the Australian character and the best of Australian spirit,” he said.
The federal government has started preparing legislation for tougher gun control regulations that will be presented to parliament in 2026, according to Albanese, who was speaking in Canberra with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
According to Burke, the federal weapons reform package would include new import regulations for firearm-related products, new criminal charges pertaining to 3D-printed weaponry, and a nationwide firearms buyback program introduced by Albanese on Friday.
Burke had also said that the government is moving more quickly to create a hate crimes database and a national guns registry, which will provide the “best possible information” to the public and the authorities in charge of granting gun permits.