Australia moves to strengthen gun laws in wake of beach shooting

- To honor shooting victims, Australia lowers nation's flag across country

ISTANBUL

Australia on Monday moved to strengthen gun control laws in the wake of a deadly mass shooting in Bondi Beach, Sydney.

The Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, agreed to toughen gun laws, according to an official statement.

“Leaders agreed that strong, decisive and focused action was needed on gun law reform as an immediate action, including renegotiating the National Firearms Agreement … to ensure it remains as robust as possible in today’s changing security environment,” a statement by the Prime Minister's Office read.

"State and territory leaders have agreed to enhance firearms licensing by using criminal intelligence in licensing decisions, limiting the number of firearms an individual can own, restricting open-ended licenses and certain types of guns and requiring Australian citizenship for holding firearm license,” according to the statement.

It comes after Australian police said two unidentified shooters, a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son, opened fire along Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and injuring 42 others who were taken to the hospital for treatment.

One of the two shooters was killed, while the other sustained critical wounds, police said, declaring the incident a “terrorist act.”

The Australian government "is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws," Albanese told a news conference ahead of the Cabinet meeting.

"Licenses should not be in perpetuity, and checks, of course, making sure that those checks and balances are in place as well," he said.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns also said that gun laws need to change to ensure that Sunday night's attack does not happen again.

"It does require legislation. It means introducing a bill to Parliament, making it more difficult to get these horrifying weapons that have no practical use in our community," he said at a news conference, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

As a “mark of mourning and respect,” the Australian government flew national flags across the country at half-mast on Monday to honor the victims of the shooting.

The attack was widely condemned by the international community.

Separately, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also sent a message of condolences to his Australian counterpart Penny Wong over the incident, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday.

“China mourns for the victims and expresses sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured,” Guo told a news conference on Monday.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaici also sent a condolence message to Albanese, according to a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.