SYDNEY, Australia — Thousands of mourners began farewelling victims of the Bondi Beach shooting Wednesday as police laid terrorism and murder charges against the surviving alleged gunman. New South Wales leaders say they will recall parliament next week to fast-track a sweeping overhaul of gun and protest laws after the antisemitic attack killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration and renewed questions about firearms access, Dec. 17, 2025.
NSW Police charged Naveed Akram, 24, with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and a count of committing a terrorist act, and said he remains in hospital under guard, ABC News reported. Police have said Akram’s father, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead at the scene during a shootout with officers.
The first funerals began in Bondi with services for victims from Sydney’s Jewish community, amid an intense police presence and heightened security around places of worship. One of those mourned was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, a husband and father of five who helped organize the beachside Hanukkah event; the youngest victim was Matilda, 10, whose family asked that her last name not be published. “It just stays here and here,” Matilda’s mother said, describing grief that had not eased, The Associated Press reported.
Bondi Beach shooting: grief, security and a community on edge
Authorities have described the attack as a terrorist incident driven by antisemitism, and say the investigation will focus not only on motive but also on how the alleged attackers were able to obtain and keep firearms legally. Police said dozens were injured, including children and two officers, and many victims and witnesses remain in hospital or in ongoing care.
Officials have also stressed the need to prevent retaliatory violence and to reduce tensions as the state enters a period of mourning that will include multiple funerals, shiva gatherings and public vigils. Community leaders have urged Sydney residents to show support without inflaming division, while law enforcement agencies have expanded patrols near Jewish institutions.
NSW gun law overhaul moves to recalled parliament
Premier Chris Minns says the NSW Parliament will be recalled ahead of Christmas for urgent legislation aimed at tightening gun ownership and restricting protest activity after terrorism incidents. “We’ve got a monumental task in front of us. It’s huge,” Minns said, according to Reuters.
The legislation is expected to be fast-tracked through parliament when it sits Dec. 22-23. Among measures under discussion, ABC News reported, are:
A cap on the number of firearms a licensed shooter can own in NSW, where there is currently no overall limit.
Changes to weapon classification, including reclassifying straight-pull shotguns and prohibiting belt-fed ammunition magazines for those weapons.
Tightening the appeals pathway by removing the right to challenge some licence revocations at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Restrictions on protest approvals during a terrorism designation, aimed at reducing pressure on police resources and lowering the risk of community flashpoints.
Officials have said the intent is to close gaps in licensing, recheck eligibility over time, and prevent high-risk weapons or large arsenals from being accumulated under permits that may not reflect changed circumstances.
National reform push: licensing limits and a firearms register
While firearms laws are set and enforced by states and territories, the prime minister signaled a broader push to strengthen national coordination, arguing that differences between jurisdictions can undermine the system. “The very nature of our gun laws means that they are only as strong as the weakest link,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, according to a transcript of a NSW Police headquarters press conference.
Albanese said leaders are considering limits on how many guns an individual can own, which types of guns should be legal, whether Australian citizenship should be required for gun ownership, and how quickly work can be accelerated on a national firearms register.
How Australia tightened guns after Port Arthur — and why debate is back
Australia’s modern gun-control framework was forged after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where 35 people were killed in a mass shooting that triggered swift, bipartisan changes to firearms policy. The reforms became known as the National Firearms Agreement and included tougher licensing standards, registration requirements and a major buyback program, as outlined by the National Museum of Australia.
In the years after Port Arthur, researchers and policymakers tracked trends in gun violence and the effects of the new restrictions. A 1999 paper from the Australian Institute of Criminology noted early declines in firearm-related deaths but cautioned that measuring the impact of reforms is complex and requires careful evaluation over time.
A later peer-reviewed study in Injury Prevention found that, after the 1996 reforms and buyback, Australia went more than a decade without a mass shooting and saw an acceleration in declines in firearm-related deaths and firearm suicides. The study is available via PubMed Central.
What comes next
NSW lawmakers are expected to debate and vote on emergency reforms when parliament reconvenes the week before Christmas, while police continue investigating the planning, weapon acquisition and alleged radicalization behind the attack. Akram’s case is also expected to return to court as prosecutors begin outlining the charges arising from the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly three decades.
For families and congregations, however, the coming days are likely to be defined by funeral services, community support and hardening security at religious and public events — as Sydney tries to reconcile mourning with an urgent political push to ensure a tragedy like the Bondi Beach shooting is not repeated.
