Australia PM will propose tougher gun laws after Bondi Beach mass shooting

(LONDON) — The Australian government is “prepared to take whatever action is necessary,” after a shooting that left 15 people dead and more than 40 injured at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during a press conference on Monday.

Albanese said Sunday would be remembered as a “dark day in Australia’s history,” after authorities said two gunmen — one of whom was killed during the incident — opened fire on an event marking the first night of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

At least 15 people were killed and more than 40 people were injured in the attack, a NSW Health spokesperson said in a statement to media on Monday afternoon. Twenty-seven patients are being treated at eight hospitals in and around Sydney, the spokesperson said.

The prime minister encouraged everyone in Australia to put a candle in their windows on Monday evening to show “that light will indeed defeat darkness.”

Albanese said he planned to “put on the agenda of the national cabinet tougher gun laws,” with details to include “the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals” and whether or not licenses for guns should be reviewed after a period of time, he added.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said in a separate press conference that he believes it’s time for a “change to the law in relation to firearms legislation in New South Wales.”

The alleged shooters were father and son, aged 50 and 24, officials said during a news conference. The father was killed and the son is hospitalized with unspecified injuries, according to officials. Their names were not released.

NSW Police Force Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed there is a 24-year-old male who is in the hospital at the moment and will likely face criminal charges.

Six firearms were collected from the scene, officials said, adding that the father had a gun license and six licensed firearms. Officials said investigators are working to determine whether the six firearms collected from the scene were licensed to the father.

Two improvised explosive devices were also discovered at the scene and were removed to be rendered safe by a bomb disposal unit, according to officials at the news conference.

Speaking to reporters on Monday about the two suspects, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the son is an Australian born citizen and the father arrived in 1998 on a student visa.

Albanese said the son was investigated by authorities in 2019 for links to Islamic State, but that “that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.”  

Albanese on Sunday called the attack “an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism” and “an act of terrorism.” The prime minister called for “national unity” in response to the shooting.

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