SYDNEY: The number of firearms in Australia reached an all-time high of more than 4 million in 2025, the center-left government reported on Sunday, a day after saying it would introduce a gun reform bill in parliament in response to the Bondi massacre.
There were a record 4,113,735 guns in Australia last year, with 1,158,654 of those in the most populous state of New South Wales where the Bondi attack took place, the government said, citing Department of Home Affairs data.
The Labor government on Saturday said parliament, recalled from its summer break, would debate bills this week to authorize a gun buyback and lower the bar for hate speech prosecutions — measures drafted in the wake of the December 14 shooting that killed 15 at a Hanukkah celebration.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there were now more guns in Australia than at the time of a 1996 shooting that killed 35 and prompted a gun buyback scheme by the conservative government of former Prime Minister John Howard.
“The deadly antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach is a national tragedy which can never be allowed to happen again,” Burke said, adding that the government was committed to “getting dangerous guns off our streets.”
New South Wales, responding to the Bondi massacre, passed state laws in December banning private individuals from owning more than four firearms, with exemptions for farmers, who can have up to 10.
The shooting in Bondi has also sparked calls for efforts to tackle antisemitism in Australia. Police say the alleged gunmen were inspired by Daesh.
Australian government says firearms hit a record high in 2025
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Australian government says firearms hit a record high in 2025
- There were a record 4,113,735 guns in Australia last year, with 1,158,654 of those in the most populous state of New South Wales where the Bondi attack took place
Man tackled to ground after spraying unknown substance on Rep. Ilhan Omar at Minneapolis town hall
- The audience cheered as he was pinned down and his arms were tied behind his back
MINNEAPOLIS: A man wearing a black jacket was tackled to the ground after spraying an unknown substance on US Rep. Ilhan Omar at a town hall she was hosting in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
The audience cheered as he was pinned down and his arms were tied behind his back. In video of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, “Oh my god, he sprayed something on her.” Omar continued the town hall after the man was ushered out of the room.
Just before that Omar called for the abolishment of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign. “ICE cannot be reformed,” she said.
Minneapolis police did not immediately respond to a phone call and email message seeking information on the incident and whether anyone was arrested.
The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday night.
President Donald Trump has frequently criticized the congresswoman and has stepped up verbal attacks on her in recent months as he turned his focus on Minneapolis.
During a Cabinet meeting in December, he called her “garbage” and added that “her friends are garbage.”
The attack on Omar came days after a man was arrested in Utah for allegedly punching US Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Florida, in the face during the Sundance Film Festival and saying Trump was going to deport him.
