Australia Tightens Gun Rules After Deadly Bondi Attack

Australia's government is taking significant steps to control guns.

They just passed new laws to make it harder to get a gun license. This comes after a terrible shooting at a Jewish festival in Bondi last month.

The Attack and Government Response

The attack left 15 people dead. The government says they need to do more to stop such violence. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke talked about the need to address both the reasons behind the attack and the tools used.

New Gun Control Measures

The new laws include:

• A national gun buyback program (the government will pay people to give up their guns).
• Stricter background checks, including information from Australia's intelligence agency.

Gun Ownership in Australia

Australia has a lot of guns. Last year, there were over 4 million firearms in the country. New South Wales, where the Bondi attack happened, has more than 1.1 million guns. The government says this is too many.

New South Wales' Additional Restrictions

New South Wales already passed some new gun laws:

• People can now only own four guns.
• Farmers can have up to 10 guns.
• Gun licenses must be renewed every two years instead of five.

Opposition and Further Plans

Not everyone supports these changes. The conservative opposition says the government isn't doing enough to fight hate speech. They think the new laws don't go far enough.

The government is also working on other laws to make it easier to punish hate speech. This is all part of their response to the Bondi attack.