TRANSCRIPT
I thought it was fireworks initially. You just don't expect this sort of thing at all on Bondi.”
That's Josef Koscinski, one of the witnesses to the Bondi shootings that have claimed at least 15 lives - the deadliest shooting in Australia in almost three decades.
The pair allegedly responsible have been identified by New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon as a father and son - with the Prime Minister confirming the younger man was known to ASIO.
“The son first came to attention in October 2019. He was examined on the basis of being associated with others, and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.”
The New South Wales Commissioner has also revealed a surprising detail about the older culprit.
“The older man was deceased. I am told he has had a gun licence for approximately ten years.”
The Commissioner says the 50 year old was a member of a gun club - and had six guns licensed to him.
“We are satisfied that we have six firearms from the scene yesterday, but also as a result of the search warrant at the Campsie address. Ballistics and forensic investigation will determine this morning that those six firearms are the six that were licensed to that man, but also that they were used in the offence... at Bondi.”
Firearm laws are the responsibility of the states and territories in Australia, and they operate under a coordinated framework called the National Firearms Agreement, introduced in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre to regulate who can have a gun - and why.
The Prime Minister says they have been touted as an example of gun control reform across the world.
“Quite clearly the Howard government's gun laws have made an enormous difference in Australia, and are a proud moment of reform. Quite rightly. Achieved across the Parliament with bipartisan support.”
But for some experts and advocates, the Bondi tragedy has shown there is no room for complacency - and plenty for improvement.
In New South Wales, applications to have a firearms licence are handled by the Gun Registry - which came under intense scrutiny after a tragic murder suicide in 2018, when an estranged father fatally shot his teenage children.
(SBS News report from 2018): "The inquest was told that John Edwards had a history of domestic violence, and physical and psychological assaults against the women in his life and his many children stretching back two decades. But crucial elements of his past were hidden from the registry staff who granted him a gun licence in mid-2017.”
Tim Quinn from Gun Control Australia says not all the changes recommended after the Edwards inquest have been implemented - and he worries that the National Firearms Agreement itself has been weakened over the years.
“We need to pick up all the bits and pieces that we can. Even following the Edwards coroner's report - we still haven't picked up all of those laws. We need reforms to categorisation. You can still get a pump action or a lever action shotgun under Category B, and these are people are just going out hunting. You know, we have manufacture - importers bringing in more and more rapid firing firearms into the country, which inevitably end up getting into the wrong hands.... I'm shocked and horrored and so disappointed with where Australia is at today, considering what a fantastic 30 years we've had since Port Arthur.”
Maya Arguello is a law and criminology expert at the Swinburne University of Technology.
She says revelations about the shooters will raise questions about how and why the father was granted a licence - and if the son's previous history with ASIO was taken into account.
“One of the recommendations from the (Edwards) inquest was to actually change the way in which these firearms are classified, and so this plays out in terms of the registration. If you are wanting to register a firearm that falls under a particular category, you need to be able to prove special reasons or genuine reason for wanting to have those particular firearms or for wanting that licence within that particular category. So I guess the question that will be asked was what is the special reason or what is that requirement for an individual who has committed horrific acts at Bondi.”
Meanwhile, caution has been advised as the investigation into the shootings intensifies.
Mal Lanyon says the registry would have done its best to make a fair and thorough assessment - and it's far too early to determine if there has been any systemic failures in the lead-up to this tragedy.
“There's actually legislation that governs how people have a firearms licence. So what I have said so far - and I am not going to go further into it at this stage - there was very little knowledge of either of these men by the authorities. The person was determined to be entitled to have a firearms licence, and had a firearms licence. The person had a firearms licence for a number of years and there were no incidents, and it was regulated.”
But Tim Quinn says that doesn't change what happened.
“But what you can say is, we do know they had six guns, and they've gone into the public and started shooting. And whether somebody should need to have six guns is very debatable. And they're shotguns of some sort, that high power and high high speed shooting. So keeping aspects that we don't know in mind, there's certainly things that the government can do to improve how we vet people, what we allow and how they are.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says he will support changes to New South Wales gun laws.
“The short answer is yes. We're looking at that right now.”
Other state leaders have also indicated their willingness for tougher rules, including Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.
“I'd echo what they've said. I think there will be a need to examine the legal framework.”
Stronger laws have now been discussed at an urgent session of National Cabinet - and the Prime Minister has flagged he will happily take the lead on a change agenda.
“Including limits on the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals. A review of licences over a period of time. People's circumstances can change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity. And checks, of course, making sure that those checks and balances are in place as well.”
