New South Wales goverment to introduce ‘toughest firearm reforms’ in Australia after Hanukkah attack

By AFP 22 December 2025, 7:52 am

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Mourners look at flowers laid next to the beach in memory of victims of a terror shooting targeting a Jewish event days earlier, at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, on December 20, 2025. (DAVID GRAY / AFP)

The government of New South Wales — where the deadly Hanukkah terror attack took place at Sydney’s Bondi Beach — recalls its parliament for two days to introduce what it calls the “toughest firearm reforms in the country.”

“We can’t pretend that the world is the same as it was before that terrorist incident on Sunday,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns tells reporters.

“I’d give anything to go back a week, a month, two years, to ensure that didn’t happen, but we need to make sure that we take steps so that it never happens again.”

The new rules will cap the number of guns an individual can own to four, or ten for exempted individuals like farmers.

There are more than 1.1 million firearms in the state, officials say.

The legislation will also ban the display of “terrorist symbols,” including the flag of the Islamic State terror group, which was draped on the attackers’ car.

Authorities will also be able to prohibit protests for up to three months following a terrorism incident.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.