Canberra to join Australia gun buyback after Bondi attack

Australia's capital, Canberra, will participate in a national gun buyback program, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced. This measure is part of the government's response to a shooting spree that killed 15 people at a Jewish festival in Sydney.

The center-left government enacted laws in January to implement the gun buyback, enhance gun license checks, and combat hate crimes. These actions were prompted by the December 14 attack at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration. New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, was the first to commit to the plan, set to launch on November 2.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which includes Canberra, has agreed to a similar scheme. Albanese stated the goal is to prevent "an antisemitic terrorist attack like we saw at Bondi can't happen again." He thanked the ACT government for its cooperation in removing guns from the streets to improve public safety. The ACT has 23,000 guns and over 7,000 licensed firearm holders.

The gunmen accused in the Bondi Beach attack, a father and son reportedly inspired by Islamic State, used legally obtained firearms. The surviving suspect faces multiple charges, including 15 counts of murder. Australia recorded a record 4.1 million firearms last year. This buyback is the nation's largest since a similar campaign following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, where a gunman killed 35 people.

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I thank the ACT Government for their collaboration as we work to take guns off our streets in order to better protect Australians.