Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized states who he claimed were standing in the way of his gun âbuybackâ program.
Albanese announced plans on Dec. 19, 2025, for a mass confiscation of firearms from law-abiding gun owners in response to the Dec. 14, 2025, attack carried out by gunmen inspired by the radical Islamic terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria at Bondi Beach. Albanese tore into other Australian states for not following suit, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
âI think it is somewhat farcical that some states were still ⌠having paper licenses that therefore couldnât be traced,â Albanese said.
Two Pakistani migrants opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration on Dec. 14,2025, killing at least 15 people and wounding 40, with one gunman being slain on the scene by police and the other being wounded. Albanese decried in a Dec. 19, 2025,  release the fact that more guns were in private hands than at the time of the 1996 Port Arthur mass shooting as he announced his intention to enact new gun control measures.
Victoria Premier Ben Carroll didnât commit to a similar scheme on Sunday, according to the Australia Broadcasting Company. Carroll said he would rely on advice from police before making a final judgement,
âWe must do everything we can to make sure the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi doesnât happen again. That includes meaningful nationwide gun reform,â Albanese said in a Sunday release. âI thank the New South Wales Government for their collaboration as we work to take guns off our streets in order to better protect Australians.â
âAustralia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. Yet law-abiding farmers, sporting shooters and firearm owners are being punished for the actions of Islamic extremists,â Member of Parliament Kevin Hogan posted on X. âLabor is offering businesses just $25,000 while their laws threaten their livelihoods. It is a disgrace. $25,000 wonât make up for being forced out of business.â
The restrictions proposed days after the terrorist attack by Albanese included a limit on how many firearms a person could own, limiting firearms licenses to Australian citizens and âadditional use of criminal intelligenceâ to determine if a license to own a firearm should be granted.
Australia passed legislation that required owners of semi-automatic firearms and certain pump-action firearms to surrender them in a mandatory âbuybackâ following the shooting in Port Arthur, Tasmania, that killed 35 people and wounded 23 others.
Many American Democratscited Australiaâs sweeping gun ban following the mass shooting in Port Arthur as a model response to mass shootings, specifically citing so-called âassault weapons.â
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