Australia to tighten gun laws after Bondi Beach mass shooting

Australian leaders He vowed on Monday to tighten the country’s already restrictive gun laws in the wake of the weekend mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 victims dead.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced several proposed actions, including one to limit the number of guns someone can own and a review of licenses held over time.

“The government is willing to take all the actions that are necessary. Included in this is the need for tougher gun laws,” he said after the meeting with his National Cabinet.

“If we need to strengthen these, if there’s anything we can do, I’m definitely for it,” he added.

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Australia already has strict gun control laws, which severely limited civilian firearm ownership after a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996.

Among other proposed actions include limiting the number of firearms that each person can have, requiring Australian citizenship as a condition for obtaining a firearms license and limiting open firearms licenses and the types of guns that are legal.

The Sunday shooting arrived during a Hanukkah celebration as thousands of people gathered at Bondi Beach, a popular local and tourist destination. The event – Chanukah by the Sea – celebrated the beginning of the Jewish holiday.

Albanese called the shooting “a targeted attack on Australian Jews on the first day of Hanukkah.”

Two gunmen, a 50-year-old father who died at the scene, and his 24-year-old son, opened fire, killing 15 people. Those killed ranged in age from 10 to 87, authorities said. Both gunmen were shot dead by police. The son is recovering in a hospital.

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At least another 38 people are being treated in hospitals. Among them is a man caught on video appears to confront and disarm an apparent assailant, before pointing the man’s weapon at him, then putting the gun to the ground.

The man was identified by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke as Ahmed al Ahmed. The 42-year-old fruit shop owner and father of two was shot in the shoulder.

Al Ahmed’s family said he migrated from Syria in 2006 and underwent surgery on Monday. His parents recently moved to Australia. They said he had a Syrian background security forces.

“My son has always been brave. He helps people. That’s how he is,” his mother, Malakeh Hasan al Ahmed, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

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“My son has always been brave. He helps people. That’s how he is,” his mother, Malakeh Hasan al Ahmed, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.