Australia announces gun buyback plan just days after Bondi Beach attack

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Sydney — Australia volition usage a sweeping buyback strategy to "get guns disconnected our streets," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday, showing his authorities was keen to instrumentality speedy enactment little than a week aft a terrorist attack near 15 radical dormant astatine a Jewish vacation gathering connected Sydney's famed Bondi Beach.

Sajid Akram and his lad Naveed are accused of opening occurrence connected the festival, which was organized to people the archetypal time of Hanukkah connected Sunday, successful what was 1 of Australia's deadliest wide shootings.

Just hours aft the attack, Albanese vowed to toughen nationalist weapon laws that allowed 50-year-old Sajid to ain six high-powered rifles.

"There is nary crushed idiosyncratic surviving successful the suburbs of Sydney needed this galore guns," helium said.

Australia's Prime Minister Albanese Holds Press Conference

Australia would wage weapon owners to surrender "surplus, recently banned and amerciable firearms."

Albanese said Monday that his authorities was "prepared to instrumentality immoderate enactment is necessary. Included successful that is the request for tougher weapon laws." He specifically suggested measures that could bounds the fig of guns a licensed proprietor tin obtain, and mandating a reappraisal process for existing licenses.

The premier curate said the national authorities would evenly divided the outgo of the buyback programme with Australia's authorities and territorial administrations, with further details to beryllium worked retired erstwhile lawmakers instrumentality to enactment adjacent week.

Investigation continues arsenic Sydney remains connected precocious alert

Sajid Akram, 50, was killed successful a gunfight with police, but his 24-year-old lad Naveed survived. The unemployed bricklayer was charged earlier this week with 15 counts of murder, an enactment of terrorism, and dozens of different superior crimes aft waking up from a coma successful a Sydney hospital.

Albanese said the onslaught was inspired by ISIS ideology, and Australian constabulary are inactive investigating whether the brace whitethorn person met with Islamist extremists during a visit to the Philippines conscionable a mates weeks earlier the shooting.

They spent astir of November successful the southbound of the Asian nation, successful a edifice successful Davao City. A edifice worker told CBS News connected Thursday that the begetter and lad extended their enactment week by week and paid successful cash, and that they would spell retired during the time but instrumentality to the edifice each night, often bringing nutrient backmost to devour successful their room.

He said unit noticed thing peculiarly suspicious astir the men during their astir monthlong stay.

Scenes From Davao Where Bondi Shooting Suspects Travelled In November

Sydney, meanwhile, remains connected precocious alert astir a week aft the shootings.

Armed constabulary released 7 men from custody connected Friday, a time aft detaining them connected a extremity they may person been plotting a "violent act," arsenic they reportedly headed for Bondi Beach.

Police said determination was nary established nexus with the alleged Bondi gunmen and "no contiguous information hazard to the community."

A 2nd large Australian weapon buyback spurred by a wide shooting

The caller buyback, assuming it is approved by lawmakers adjacent week, volition beryllium the largest specified government-funded programme since 1996, erstwhile then-Prime Minister John Howard cracked down connected firearms successful the aftermath of different wide shooting, successful which 35 radical were killed successful the municipality of Port Arthur.

Just 12 days aft that attack, Australian lawmakers approved authorities banning the merchantability and importation of each automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns; forcing radical to contiguous a morganatic reason, and hold 28 days, to bargain immoderate firearm, and initiating the massive, mandatory gun-buyback for banned weapons.

The authorities confiscated and destroyed astir 700,000 firearms successful the aftermath of the law's adoption, reducing the fig of gun-owning households by half.

"It is incontestable that gun-related homicides person fallen rather importantly successful Australia," erstwhile premier Howard, who defied galore successful his ain blimpish enactment to usher successful the 1996 law, told CBS News' Seth Doane 2 decades later, successful 2016.

In the 15 years earlier those laws were passed, determination were 13 wide shootings successful Australia. In the 2 decades after, determination wasn't a azygous one. Gun homicides wide decreased by astir 60% successful the aforesaid period.

Asked to respond to critics who said the autumn successful weapon deaths did not needfully hap due to the fact that of the legislation, Howard told CBS News: "The fig of deaths from wide shootings, gun-related homicide has fallen, weapon related termination has fallen … Isn't that evidence? Or are we expected to judge that that was each magically going to happen? Come on!"

A survey published earlier this year, however, recovered Australia inactive has immoderate mode to spell to afloat instrumentality the 2016 legislation, called the National Firearms Agreement. The paper, by the Australia Institute deliberation tank, said immoderate of the measures had yet to beryllium brought into unit 29 years later, and others were being inconsistently enforced crossed antithetic states.

The instrumentality "was ambitious, politically brave, and indispensable for nationalist safety," the study concluded, lauding Howard's volition to defy his chap lawmakers.

But "Australia inactive allows minors to clasp firearm licenses, inactive lacks a National Firearms Register, and inactive has inconsistent laws that marque enforcement difficult," the radical said, adding that wide weapon ownership crossed the state had really boomed implicit the past 3 decades.

"There are present implicit 4 cardinal registered privately owned guns successful Australia: 800,000 much than earlier the (1996) buyback," the institute said successful its May report. "Australians needs weapon laws that unrecorded up to the Howard Government's bravery, and close present Australia does not person them."

Albanese, on with authorities and territorial leaders, agreed connected Monday to look astatine ways to bolster weapon laws, including by accelerating the motorboat of the nationalist firearms registry called for successful the 1996 legislation, making weapon licenses disposable lone to Australian citizens, and imposing caller restrictions the types of weapons that are ineligible for licensees to own.

A memorial astatine sea, and a time of reflection planned for Bondi Beach victims

Hundreds of radical plunged into the water astatine Bondi Beach connected Friday to grant the 15 radical killed successful the panic attack, forming a monolithic ringing successful the oversea connected surf and paddle boards, arsenic Albanese announced a nationalist time of reflection to beryllium observed connected Sunday.

Albanese urged Australians to airy candles astatine 6:47 p.m. connected Sunday, "exactly 1 week since the onslaught unfolded."

On Friday, swimmers and surfers paddled into a circle, bobbing successful the gentle greeting swell, splashing h2o and roaring with emotion.

"They slaughtered guiltless victims, and contiguous I'm swimming retired determination and being portion of my assemblage again to bring backmost the light," information advisor Jason Carr, 53, told AFP. "We're inactive burying bodies. But I conscionable felt it was important."

Carole Schlessinger, a 58-year-old main enforcement of a children's charity, said determination was a "beautiful energy" astatine the water gathering. "To beryllium unneurotic is specified an important mode of trying to woody with what's going on."

"It was truly beauteous to beryllium portion of it," she said, adding: "I personally americium feeling precise numb. I'm feeling ace angry. I'm feeling furious."