It introduced stricter gun laws after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, but some say they now need to be tightened further.

The Australian government announced a plan to purchase and destroy civilian-owned firearms after a terrorist attack left 15 people dead at a Jewish holiday gathering on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Three decades ago, almost 650,000 firearms − about one-third of all privately owned guns in Australia – were surrendered, loaded intro trucks and destroyed. In exchange for these firearms, part of a mandatory gun buyback program, the government paid out $200 million. Gun-related murder and suicide rates plummeted.

Australia's governments are poised to further tighten what are already some of the world's most restrictive gun ownership laws. It is a rapid response to the tragedy, which has seen 16 people confirmed dead in what has been Australia's biggest mass shooting event since 1996.