The Australian government has announced plans to buy back firearms following the Bondi Beach attack, the deadliest mass shooting in decades, which left 15 dead and dozens wounded during a Jewish festival. This incident marks the largest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which led to significant gun control reforms in Australia.
The attack was allegedly carried out by a father-son duo motivated by Islamic State ideology. Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder. His father, Sajid, died during the attack. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted the rise in gun ownership, with over four million firearms now in the country, and emphasized the need for stricter regulations.
Following the shooting, the national cabinet agreed to tighten gun control measures, including limits on the number of firearms individuals can own, stricter permits, and a requirement for Australian citizenship to hold a firearms license. Plans for a national firearms register and increased access for regulators to criminal information will also be implemented.
A buyback scheme aims to collect and destroy hundreds of thousands of surplus or illegal firearms, funded jointly by the federal and state governments. In related news, several men with extremist ties who were arrested in Sydney will soon be released but remain under monitoring, as police continue to assess potential threats.
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