Australia's Bold Move: Tightening Gun Laws After Tragedy

Australia has always been strict about guns, but after a recent attack, they're making the rules even tougher. A father and son shot people at a beach in Sydney, killing 15 and hurting 42 others. The prime minister called it a terrorist attack on Jewish Australians. Australia's gun laws are already some of the strictest in the world. They got this way after a terrible shooting in 1996, when one man killed 35 people. After that, the government made big changes. They banned certain types of guns and started a program to buy back over 650, 000 guns. These laws worked well for a long time. There were no mass shootings for over 20 years. But lately, things have changed. More people own guns now than in 1996. Some rules have also been relaxed. So, after the recent attack, leaders are working together to make the laws even stronger. They want to make a national list of all guns and owners. They also want to limit how many guns one person can have and stop some types of guns and modifications. Only citizens can have gun licenses, and they want to control imports of gun-related items.Australia can make these changes quickly because of something called the National Cabinet. This group includes the prime minister and leaders from all states and territories. They don't make laws directly, but they agree on what needs to be done and work together to make it happen. Most Australians support these strict gun laws. A recent poll found that 64% want even stronger laws. This is different from some other countries, like the U. S. , where gun laws are much more relaxed. Australia's leaders have said that easy access to guns leads to more violence. After the recent attack, there are calls to keep the focus on community safety. One man, who lost his family in the 1996 shooting, said that Australia made a promise to put safety first, and that promise is still important today.