By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Australian gun owners will once again be penalized for crimes they did not commit in the aftermath of the father-and-son terrorist attack at Bondi Beach aimed at Jewish citizens celebrating at the Chanukah by the Sea event Sunday evening.
The perpetrators have been tentatively identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24.
While authorities acknowledge the mass shooting was driven by ideology and antisemitic hatred, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “convened an urgent meeting of the national cabinet” Monday, according to The Guardian. His reaction included a suggestion that Australian gun owners could face limits on the number of firearms they can own, and gun licenses would only be issued to Australian citizens.
The Guardian is reporting that the elder Akram was not an Australian citizen. He came to Australia on a student visa in 1998, which he reportedly transferred to a “partner visa” in 2001. He had traveled overseas three times on a “resident return visa.”
Fox News is reporting that the father, who was shot dead in the attack, was a licensed gun owner and he had six legally-registered firearms, including those recovered at the scene and others retrieved from his residence afterward. Police also recovered to improvised explosive devices (IED) and successfully disabled them.
At least 15 people were killed, according to published reports, sand many others were injured.
One incredible act of heroism was captured on video when an unarmed man crept up on the father, attacked and disarmed him. The hero was identified by the BBC as Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, who was wounded in the altercation, which showed him grabbing what appears to be a shotgun with an extended magazine tube.
Six firearms is hardly considered too many by U.S. standards, but Australia does not have the equivalent of a Second Amendment. In the past, some anti-gun U.S. politicians, such as Hillary Clinton, have suggested this country should adopt gun control laws similar to those in the island continent.
In a segment at Fox News Monday morning, Sky News Australia correspondent Sharri Markson said gun control is “a distraction” while the terrorism and antisemitism may not get as much attention.
