Bondi Beach shooting: How tough are Australia’s gun laws?

Al JazeeraCenterEN 6 min read 100% complete by Sarah ShamimDecember 15, 2025 at 02:37 PM

AI Summary

long article 6 min

In December 2025, a mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, resulted in at least 15 deaths. The attack, described as a "terrorist" act, was perpetrated by two gunmen, a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son. The father, who was killed by police, was a licensed firearms holder with six registered firearms. This incident is the worst mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which prompted Australia to enact strict gun control laws under the National Firearms Agreement (NFA). The NFA banned most automatic and semiautomatic rifles, mandated gun registration and licensing, and initiated a gun buyback program. Despite these laws, the Bondi Beach shooter was able to legally obtain firearms.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Martin Bryant ×280% New South Wales ×280% Mal Lanyon ×2100% Australia ×4100% Bondi Beach ×3100%

Keywords

gun laws 100% mass shooting 90% firearms licence 80% bondi beach 70% national firearms agreement 70% port arthur 60% anti-gun legislation 50% gun control 50% firearms holder 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Australia

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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gun laws mass shooting firearms licence bondi beach national firearms agreement port arthur anti-gun legislation gun control firearms holder

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