NSW to approve sweeping gun reforms, protest bans and terrorist symbol prohibitions following Bondi Beach mass shooting.
SYDNEY: Australia’s most populous state is poised to approve sweeping new laws cracking down on guns and granting authorities power to ban protests.
The New South Wales government recalled parliament to introduce what it called the “toughest firearm reforms in the country” following the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in decades.
Father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram are accused of targeting a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in what authorities have called an antisemitic terrorist attack.
The new rules will cap the number of guns an individual can own at four, or 10 for exempted individuals like farmers.
The legislation will also ban the display of “terrorist symbols”, including the flag of the Islamic State group, which was found in a car linked to one of the alleged shooters.
It will give authorities power to prohibit protests for up to three months following a terrorism incident.
The reforms are expected to pass the upper house of the New South Wales parliament on Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Premier Chris Minns said the laws “will be a clear message and clear progress to keep the people of New South Wales safe”.
A broad coalition of protest groups has vowed a constitutional legal challenge to the anti-protest laws.
Palestine Action Group Sydney accused the state of having “pushed through legislation without due process, attacking our fundamental right to protest”.
Police documents released Monday said the two alleged gunmen had carried out “firearms training” in the New South Wales countryside.
Authorities alleged the pair “meticulously planned” the attack “for many months”.
The pair also recorded a video in October railing against “Zionists” while sitting in front of an Islamic State flag, police allege.
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack.
His 24-year-old son Naveed was charged last week with 15 counts of murder, committing a “terrorist act” and planting a bomb with intent to harm.
