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Port Arthur-era National Firearms Agreement to be renegotiated after Bondi Beach massacre
Updated ,first published
The National Firearms Agreement established after the Port Arthur massacre will be renegotiated and NSW parliament may be recalled before Christmas to pass urgent legislation after a father and son allegedly slaughtered 15 people with legally registered firearms.
Sajid Akram was found “fit and proper” to hold an A/B category gun licence 10 years ago before he and his son, Naveed, took the 50-year-old’s six firearms to a footbridge at Bondi Beach to commit an alleged act of antisemitic terror against beachgoers celebrating the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday.
A 10-year-old girl named Matilda, rabbi and father-of-five Eli Schlanger and French national Dan Elkayam were among those killed.
After the carnage at Bondi Beach, all states and territories have agreed to develop options to strengthen gun laws, the ambitious reforms including limiting the maximum number of guns allowed to be owned by one person, limiting the types of guns deemed legal and making holding Australian citizenship a condition of holding a gun licence.
“People’s circumstances can change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity and checks, of course, making sure that those checks and balances are in place as well,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
The National Firearms Register will also be fast-tracked and the federal government will look to put further restrictions on importation of guns, including 3D-printed weapons.
Premier Chris Minns is also considering recalling parliament to reform gun laws and make it more difficult to own guns, declaring they have no practical use in the community.
“The granting of a firearms licence in perpetuity is clearly not fit for purpose,” Minns said.
The father, who arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, died at the scene, bringing the death toll to at least 16. Naveed Akram, an Australian citizen, was injured but is expected to recover and face charges. At least 40 people were injured in the attack, which NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said was a deliberate attack on the Jewish community.
Naveed Akram was known to police through his associations with individuals connected to extremist groups, but there was no indication an attack was planned, Albanese said.
The father’s gun licence allowed him to own certain shotguns and centre-fire rifles in his Bonnyrigg home. Police said he was a member of a gun club.
Despite an investigation into the son’s associations lasting six months, his father’s gun licence was not cancelled.
Walter Mikac, who lost his wife and two daughters in the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, said his thoughts were with the Jewish community.
“This is a horrific reminder of the need to stay vigilant against hate and violence, and of the importance of ensuring our gun laws continue to protect the safety of all Australians,” he said.
Minns said law reform would almost certainly come in the aftermath of the massacre.
“We need to send a strong and clear repudiation of antisemitism in all of its forms, there is no tolerance for racism or Jewish hatred in NSW or Australia,” Minns said.
“Whether it’s destructive, horrible acts of violence, or chants, mottos and internet posts. We need to fight antisemitism. It is toxic … it leads to devastating, devastating implications for the people of our country.”
States may need to reconsider what a “genuine reason” may be for one individual to stockpile so many guns in a metropolitan area, Swinburne University law lecturer and criminology expert Maya Arguello Gomez said.
“I think there may be a sense of complacency … we had the amnesty coming out of Port Arthur. Most were happy to have that amnesty – maybe it’s time for another conversation about that,” she said.
Akram is a recently unemployed bricklayer, who told family he was going on a fishing trip for the weekend. Police have swarmed Akram’s Bonnyrigg home and a Campsie short-term rental where the father and son had been staying.
Police also found several improvised explosive devices in a car on Campbell Parade, which runs parallel to the beach. The car is linked to one of the shooters.
Albanese has received criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused him of failing to take a tough stance on antisemitism.
Albanese did not respond directly, but said it was a time for national unity.
Guns in Australia
- There are more than 4 million guns owned by civilians across Australia, up 25 per cent from 3.2 million guns in the lead-up to the Port Arthur massacre and national gun reforms.
- NSW is home to the most licensed guns in the country, with 1,140,463 registered firearms, according to the NSW Firearms Registry.
- There are 259,107 gun licence holders in NSW. Of the registered guns in NSW, 34 per cent are to people living in major metropolitan cities of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.
- There are more than 260,000 illicit firearms in circulation in Australia, according to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
- The average firearms licence holder owns more than four guns, and two individuals in inner Sydney own 386 and 304 firearms respectively, according to the Australia Institute’s Gun Control in Australia report released in January. Owning that many guns is legal under firearms laws, except in Western Australia.
More coverage on the Bondi terror attack:
- Updates: Sydney on high alert for further terrorist acts as multiple people killed
- Watch: Incredible footage shows the moment a hero bystander tackles one of the gunmen
- What we know so far: All the details of the mass shooting
- How the world reacted: Global leaders condemn ‘deeply distressing’ attack
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Jessica McSweeney is a reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald covering urban affairs and state politics.Connect via email.