"Australian lawmakers have passed tougher laws against hate crime and gun violence in response to last month's mass shooting at a Jewish festival at Sydney's Bondi Beach. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted in favour of a new national gun buyback scheme, tighter gun licence checks and a crackdown on hate crimes. Fifteen people, most of them Jewish, were killed when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at the iconic Sydney beach on December 14."
"They were later disarmed by a Muslim hero, Ahmed al-Ahmed. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the attack had been carried out by individuals with hate in their hearts and guns in their hands and that it demanded a comprehensive response from government. Australian authorities have said the suspected attackers, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, were inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) group. As a government, we must do everything we can to counter both the motivation and the method, said Burke."
"The legislative reforms on guns and hate speech were voted on separately and must still be approved by the upper house, the Senate, which was expected to vote later in the day. The gun control laws are expected to pass with the support of the Greens despite opposition from the conservative Liberal-National Coalition, while the anti-hate laws are likely to pass with support from the Liberal Party."
Parliament passed tougher hate crime and gun violence laws after a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach. The House approved a national gun buyback, tighter gun licence checks and a crackdown on hate crimes. The reforms still require Senate approval. Gun control measures are expected to pass with Greens’ support despite opposition from the Liberal-National Coalition, while anti-hate laws are likely to attract Liberal Party support. New firearms rules enable background checks for gun permits with input from intelligence services. Fifteen people, most of them Jewish, were killed; two suspects were reportedly inspired by ISIL. A Muslim bystander, Ahmed al-Ahmed, helped disarm the gunmen.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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