Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota praised Australia for its strict gun control laws on Sunday, even though those very measures failed to prevent a deadly terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
The attack in Sydney, which authorities are investigating as an act of terrorism, saw at least two gunmen open fire, killing at least 15 people and wounding 40 others.
Appearing on MSNOW, Omar stated that Australia had "worked really hard" to enact gun control. She lamented the rise in violence, saying: “It is a tragedy that this has become a normal occurrence, not just in the United States, but now seeing it in Australia, who’s worked really hard to create gun prevention laws, to prevent the kind of tragedy that took place today.”
Australia's sweeping gun legislation, enacted after a 1996 mass shooting, mandated the surrender of semi-automatic and certain pump-action firearms through a national "buyback." This legislation is frequently cited by U.S. Democrats as a model for mass shooting prevention.
Despite these restrictions, reports indicate that one of the gunmen in the Bondi Beach attack appeared to use a pump-action shotgun with an extended magazine.
In response to the massacre, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to enact further restrictions, which would include limiting the number of firearms a person could own, requiring more rigorous review of gun licenses, and limiting licenses to Australian citizens. The Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, also suggested that the state may pass even more stringent laws than the national government.