Australia Launches Largest Gun Buyback Scheme After Bondi Beach Massacre

Tributes to Bondi Victims

• 🕯️ Hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled out in a circle at Bondi Beach as a tribute to the 15 victims of the recent massacre.
• 🤝 The event aimed to spread light, love, compassion, and unity, honoring those lost and expressing gratitude to first responders.
• 🇦🇺 A sense of normality is slowly returning to Bondi Beach, with beachfront areas reopening and people reclaiming the space.
• 🗓️ Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared Sunday, December 21st, as a day of reflection and announced a national day of mourning will be declared in the new year.

National Gun Buyback Scheme

• 🚨 Australia is launching its largest gun buyback scheme since the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre, following the Bondi Beach shooting.
• 🔫 The scheme aims to collect and destroy hundreds of thousands of firearms, including surplus, newly banned, and illegal guns.
• 💰 The government will fund the scheme on a 50/50 basis with states and territories, with legislation to support funding to be introduced.
• ⚠️ An industry group has expressed opposition, estimating the scheme could cost taxpayers up to 8.5 billion euros.
• 🎯 The government is cracking down on gun violence, with the Prime Minister stating there's no reason for individuals in suburban areas to possess multiple firearms.