Abbott Rejects Gun Control Crackdown After Bondi Terror Attack, Calls for Tougher Migration Rules

‘It’s not so much the gun; it’s the person who pulled the trigger,’ the former Australian PM said in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Australia's former Prime Minister Tony Abbott sits on stage during a discussion with Britain's main opposition Conservative Party Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel and journalist Trevor Phillips (unseen) on stage for a discussion on the third day of the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester, north-west England, on Oct. 7, 2025. Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott says moves to tighten gun control and hate speech laws will do little to prevent a future terror attack, while also calling for stronger immigration procedures.

The former Liberal Party leader also said there had been no comparable mass attacks against Jews in Britain, Europe, or the United States, and claimed the Labor government had “failed to create a climate of safety and respect for Jewish people.”