Parliament Approves New Gun Legislation; Prime Minister Assures Farmers Are Not the Focus

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Australia has tightened its gun laws in response to the Bondi terror attack, making it harder to obtain licences and allowing for the removal of firearms from the community.

The federal firearms laws passed the Senate on Tuesday evening with the support of the Greens, as parliament returned two weeks early to debate the reforms.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the tragic events of the Bondi attack, where father and son shooters opened fire near a Hanukkah event and killed 15 people, required a response that counters “both the motivation and method”.

He explained how the implementation of the laws would have prevented licences for the two alleged gunmen.

According to a government official, the father involved in the case would have been ineligible to possess firearms because he was not a citizen. Additionally, the firearms used in the incident would not have been accessible to them under new regulations. The son, who lacked a firearms license, would have faced scrutiny from intelligence agencies that could have influenced licensing decisions.

A man in a suit standing in front of an Australian flag and dark blue curtain.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasized that the proposed laws aim to prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands. “While no legislation can address every aspect of incidents like the one at Bondi, tackling the method used is crucial, and that’s what we intend to do,” Burke stated.

However, new provisions regarding racial vilification were removed from the legislation due to insufficient support.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended the gun reforms against criticism that they will capture everyday Australians.

Burke clarified the scope of the new laws, stating, “It’s important to recognize what this legislation is and isn’t about. It does not target farmers, competitive shooters, or law-abiding firearm owners,” he assured Parliament on Tuesday morning.

The plan also includes a measure to limit the number of firearms during a two-year buyback period.

The newly passed federal laws will:

– Limit the number of firearms during a two-year buyback period

– Prevent non-Australian citizens from importing firearms

– Tighten background checks for gun licences and review of current holders

– Promote intelligence sharing between agencies and states and territories when completing checks

– Tighten restrictions on the importations of firearms, parts and ammunition

– Expand the home affairs minister’s powers to refuse the importation of firearms

However, the future of how the government will proceed with the “biggest gun buyback scheme” since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre is unclear because of a lack of support from states.

Queensland has joined the Northern Territory and Tasmania in rejecting the proposal, which requires states to split costs 50-50 with the Commonwealth.

Shooting Industry Foundation Australia (SIFA) estimates an average claim of $6,000 per firearm would cost the government $12 billion for the scheme.

The scheme aims to target newly banned, high-capacity, and rapid-fire weapons, with SIFA estimating 50 per cent of gun owners will be affected by the new measures.

Following a National Cabinet meeting in December, states agreed to implement firearms restrictions. The NSW government limited individuals to four firearms, with commercial users and farmers limited to 10.

‘Isn’t about farmers’: PM defends gun reforms

Nationals leader David Littleproud labelled the gun legislation “a cheaper political diversion”, arguing the laws went too far and “demonise [legal] gun owners”.

“We do not have a gun problem, we have a radical Islam problem,” Littleproud said.

“This is a failure of process, not a failure of gun licensing. The fact is, the authorities did not act and take away the licence and the weapons, as they should.”

Responding to criticisms, Albanese quoted David Meagher, the father of Bondi victim Peter Meagher, who said, “gun reform alone will not solve hatred or extremism, but an antisemite without a gun is just a hate-filled person, an antisemite with a gun is a killer”.