Australians strongly support gun ownership reform following Bondi Beach shooting: Polls

Canberra, Dec 23 (IANS) A vast majority of Australians say they support stricter gun ownership laws in the wake of the fatal mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach, two separate polls have found. 

The first poll, which was conducted by YouGov over the seven days to Monday, found that 92 per cent of Australians believe gun ownership should be made illegal or that gun ownership laws should be tightened in the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

Among poll respondents who identified as supporters of the governing Labor Party, 50 per cent said gun ownership should be made illegal and 47 per cent said laws should be tightened, with the remaining three percent saying there should be no change.

"Australians are united in their support for stronger gun control," Director of Public Data at YouGov Paul Smith said.

The second opinion poll, which was conducted by market research firm Resolve Strategic and published by Nine Entertainment newspapers on Tuesday, found that 76 per cent of Australians support stricter gun laws, with 10 per cent preferring to keep laws as they are.

The same poll found that 72 per cent of respondents support restricting gun licenses to Australian citizens and over 80 per cent support other measures, including limiting the number of guns a person can own, tougher regulations on high-powered rifles, and a national database to track firearms.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged decisive action on strengthening gun laws after 15 people were fatally shot in a terrorist attack that targeted a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach on December 14.

Authorities said in the wake of the attack that one of the two gunmen had a firearms license and legally owned six guns, Xinhua news agency reported.

Albanese on Friday announced a national firearm buyback scheme will be established to reduce the number of guns in the community, and previously said that federal, state and territory governments will develop options on stricter gun laws, including limiting the number of guns allowed to be owned by one person.

--IANS

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