How many of those purposes are real ones that come up in the life of an average civilian living in a Sydney suburb? My guess is between 0 and 1.
Especially in the US, we keep hearing about these shooters who are disaffected young men, who are pessimistic and nihilistic about the future, and one of the ideas offered is that they need better, more involved father figures. This is like the monkey’s paw version of that.
Well, they are Down Under. So of course the causality runs in reverse. Just like the drains. 
Rabbits, bird shooting and deer hunting require different guns. Not to mention some like a specialized target rifle or trap/skeet shotgun.
Lots of hunting within a half days trip.
And afaik, only two or three weapons were actually used. But it is hard to find any solid data.
I’ve variously heard that the father was in a gun club or a hunting club, as if those are the same thing. But I’m almost going to guarantee the only shooting he did prior to the massacre was practice for it.
I am not disputing your contention. But I’m trying to understand where you get that.
If Dad is a longstanding member of a shooting or hunting club, and has owned properly legal guns a long time, that suggests to me something other than recent radicalization. And an intent to do something other than simply murder random innocents.
I confess to not having read all the nuances of all the emerging articles on this humanitarian disaster. And f*** the both of them for their evil.
Comments?
I’m suggesting he joined the club only so he could legally buy guns and stayt under the radar, not because he was interested in hunting animals or target shooting.
The shooter and his dad had ties to ISIS; they recently returned from a trip to the Philippines, where they apparently traveled to the South of the country where there is quite a bit of ISIS activity; and worst of all, the son was investigated for ISIS ties in 2019 and deemed not to be an immediate threat.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12/15/world/bondi-beach-shooting-gunmen-isis
Maybe, but people like that crack all at once, they dont plan decades ahead. It looks like they were converted during that last trip.
But maybe we will know more. I am keeping my opinions open.
The son, at least, looks like he’s been associated with ISIS for over half a decade.
You should, because as Babale noted they both went to the Philippines to train as terrorists, presumably for an attack just such as this one.
OK, a few things of note here.
- If you want reliable news from Australia without a paywall go here. ABC News - Trusted Source of Latest News & Headlines
- The shooters used modern bolt action rifles that pull straight back and forward without the up-back-forward-down of traditional bolt action rifles, as well as under and over shotguns. These were the best weapons available to the fathers licence category. On an A-B licence (which is the majority of licenced shooters) you can’t own semi autos or pump actions.
- The bloke who crash tackled a shooter is a Syrian Muslim refugee who got Australian citizenship a few years back, after a bit of a struggle.. Ahmed Al Amhed. He copped 5 bullets in his left arm and shoulder from the other shooter on the bridge and while in no immediate danger of dying is in a fair bit of pain and will take a while to recover. That man is a fucking hero.
- For the pro gun lobby, thank christ the shooters didn’t have access to AR15’s. The argument that having civilians with guns would have prevented this is utter bullshit. Seriously, who’s taking their rifle to the beach for a relaxing Sunday arvo? Plus compare mass shootings in the USA to Australia over any time frame you like. Our Primary school kids don’t need to learn what to do if some Fwit walks into the school with a machine gun.
- This kind of shit hits us hard. It’s rare for us and it hurts.
- Antisemitism. Watch out for it, call it out, don’t tolerate it.
Excellent post.
Terrific post. I understand the go fund me for Ahmed Al Amhed has surpassed 2 million dollars. I appreciate his courage and I love the head spinning that must be happening in the minds of many bigots.
Also, America should shut the fuck up on the topic of guns.
I shudder to think how many would have died if they had access to anything other than single shot weapons. I feel like even semi-auto pistols would have been catastrophic.
Here he is, we hope his recovery is full and swift so we can properly admire and respect this hero. Long Live Ahmed!
Good posts…I suspect future events may have one police sniper concealed and/or a police drone with gun shot dector.
There were a couple of points where rapid intervention may have saved some.
Yeah the laws worked by restricting the firepower. I’m a bit surprised a background check did not throw up a red flag.