January 1, Aussie Government Launches Radical Gun Confiscation After Terror Attack

Wyatt’s Take

• Australia is launching a massive gun confiscation program after a terrorist attack — punishing law-abiding gun owners instead of addressing radical Islamic terrorism
• The government admits there are more guns in Australia now than before their famous 1996 buyback, proving gun control doesn’t work
• Up to 274,000 legally registered firearms could be seized from citizens who followed the law, while criminals keep theirs

Australia is rolling out what they’re calling a “buyback” — but let’s be honest, it’s confiscation with a check attached. New South Wales will kick off the program November 2, following a terror attack that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns announced the scheme Sunday. Gun owners will get fixed payments between $450 and $1,000 per firearm in the first phase, with a second phase capped at $10,000 for pricier guns.

Here’s what they won’t tell you loud and clear: The attackers used legally obtained firearms. So the government’s response is to crack down on everyone else who legally owns guns.

Albanese’s center-left government pushed through new gun control laws in January after the December 14 attack. They also tightened hate speech laws and extremism measures. New South Wales passed its own state firearms restrictions in December.

The government says there were a record 4.1 million firearms in Australia last year. More than 1.1 million were in New South Wales alone, the most populous state.

“We must do everything we can to make sure the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi doesn’t happen again. That includes meaningful nationwide gun reform,” Albanese said.

This will be Australia’s biggest gun grab since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania’s Port Arthur. That massacre led to the country’s famous buyback program that the left loves to worship.

“Australians are quite rightly proud of our gun laws, but the fact is there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback,” Albanese admitted.

Stop right there. Read that again. More guns now than before their celebrated gun control measures. If that doesn’t prove the whole thing is theater, nothing will.

New South Wales now limits individual gun ownership to four firearms under new restrictions sparked by the Bondi Beach attack. There are exemptions for farmers, sport shooters, and others with “specified genuine reasons.” The government estimates up to 274,000 registered firearms — about 24% of the state’s total — and roughly 50,000 license holders are affected.

“After Bondi, we promised the people of New South Wales we would introduce the toughest gun laws in the country, and that’s exactly what we did,” Minns said.

“The next step is getting the guns that are no longer permitted under those laws out of circulation and permanently off our streets.”

“There are potentially hundreds of thousands of firearms affected by these changes,” Minns added.

“We want those guns handed in, compensated for and safely destroyed. This is a big undertaking, but the principle behind it is simple: fewer dangerous guns in our community means a safer New South Wales.”

Let’s talk about who actually committed this atrocity. The attack was allegedly carried out by a father and son who police believe were inspired by the Islamic State. Radical Islamic terrorism — the motive the left refuses to name clearly.

The 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, was shot and killed by police at the scene. The surviving suspect, Naveed Akram, 24, hasn’t entered pleas yet but faces 59 charges total, including committing a terrorist act and 15 counts of murder.

A man named Ahmed al Ahmed has been praised as a hero for tackling and disarming one of the gunmen. He was shot during the incident and is still recovering.

“After the tragedy at Bondi, we committed to dealing with the motive and the method,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

“Since then, we have strengthened our hate crimes and hate speech laws, which are now the strongest in our country’s history.”

“Today we continue the proud Australian tradition of sensible gun reform designed to protect our community from weapons which have no utility other than to cause harm,” he added.

Sensible gun reform. That’s code for disarming citizens while pretending it will stop terrorists who don’t follow laws in the first place.

Wyatt Matters

This is the playbook the American left dreams about importing here. A terror attack happens, the government responds by punishing law-abiding citizens instead of confronting the real threat, and they wrap it all in the language of safety and common sense. Meanwhile, they admit their previous gun control failed — there are more guns now than ever — but the solution is always more control, never addressing the actual evil that drives terrorism. Our Founders understood that an armed citizenry is the last defense against tyranny and terror alike. Australia is learning the hard way what happens when you give that up.