SYDNEY, Dec 15 (Bernama-Xinhua) — Australia’s leaders at a snap National Cabinet meeting on Monday agreed to take decisive action to strengthen gun laws following a fatal mass shooting on Sunday night at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, reported Xinhua.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that he and the leaders of Australia’s states and territories agreed to take “strong, decisive and focused action” on gun law reform at the emergency meeting convened in response to the shooting.
He said that the state and territory leaders have commissioned their respective police ministers and attorneys-general to develop options on strengthening gun laws, including limiting the number of firearms allowed to be held by one individual and limiting firearms licences to Australian citizens.
Additionally, Albanese said that the National Firearms Agreement that was established after 35 people were fatally shot at Port Arthur in the island state of Tasmania in 1996 will be renegotiated to ensure it remains “as robust as possible” in the changing security environment.
Authorities have confirmed 16 deaths following a shooting that targeted an event marking the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sunday night, making it Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre.
Police said earlier on Monday that the deceased range in age from 10 to 87 years old and include one of the two shooters, a 50-year-old man who had a firearms licence and legally owned six guns.
The second shooter, a 24-year-old man identified as the son of the 50-year-old, remained in hospital on Monday under police guard.
— BERNAMA-XINHUA