Bondi survivor backs gun laws amid repeal push
Leon Elski testified at a hearing for legislation to undo post-massacre firearm restrictions.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
A Bondi attack survivor is backing strict gun laws but firearm dealers are pushing for their repeal. Photo: Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS
Photograph: The Examiner (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Bondi massacre survivor Leon Elski testified in support of stricter firearm laws at a parliamentary inquiry.
- Gun store owners and the Shooters Union president Graham Park argued for the repeal of post-massacre gun restrictions.
- Elski described shielding his daughter during the attack and stated that 'something has failed' despite existing checks.
- Gun sellers reported significant negative impacts on their businesses due to the crackdown.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 7 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
70/100
Hype
20/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Leon Elski, a survivor of the Bondi Beach massacre, testified before a parliamentary inquiry supporting tighter firearm laws. The massacre, which occurred on December 14, 2025, resulted in 15 deaths and over 40 injuries. Following the attack, NSW Premier Chris Minns introduced stricter gun ownership regulations, including a limit on the number of firearms an individual can possess.
Elski recounted shielding his eight-year-old daughter from gunfire during the attack, stating that "Many bullets passed within centimetres of my head, the heavy sound of large calibre rounds passing through the air is something I will never forget." He told the inquiry that "There's obviously quite decent layers of checks in place, but with all of that said, something has failed." Elski advocated for enhanced checks to ensure firearm licence applicants have legitimate purposes.
In contrast, gun store owners and Shooters Union president Graham Park argued for the repeal of the post-massacre restrictions. They reported significant negative impacts on their businesses. Gary Georgiou of Safari Firearms stated the second-hand market had disappeared, and Zac Kirwan of Badlands gun store described the situation as "catastrophic for business." Joshua Pracy of UsedGuns.com.au called the government's gun buyback scheme a deliberate attempt to destroy businesses.
Park criticised the government for not consulting the public before enacting legislation and supported the repeal bill. He argued that licensed shooters were among the most vetted individuals and had no connection to the Bondi attack. Representatives for the Australian Jewish Association also appeared, with chief executive Robert Gregory questioning why law-abiding citizens should be penalised for the actions of terrorists.
Disagreement on attacker's gun purchases
The Examiner reported that concerns around licensing arose in response to revelations that Sajid Akram, one of the men allegedly responsible for the Bondi attack, legally purchased six guns. This occurred despite his son, Naveed, being known to counter-terrorism authorities. PerthNow also reported this detail.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the detail that one of the alleged attackers legally purchased six guns despite his son being known to counter-terrorism authorities. The centre-rated report and the right-rated digest also do not mention this detail.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 13 Nov 2026, 07:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led with the testimony of Bondi survivor Leon Elski and his support for tighter gun laws. They highlighted Elski's personal account of shielding his daughter during the massacre and his statement that "something has failed" despite existing checks. These reports also included the arguments from gun sellers and the Shooters Union president for the repeal of restrictions, noting the negative business impacts they reported.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report led with Bondi survivor Leon Elski's statement that "Something has failed" and his backing of gun laws. It detailed his account of shielding his daughter during the attack and his call for stronger checks on firearm licence applicants. The report also covered the opposing views of gun store owners and Shooters Union president Graham Park, who argued for the repeal of restrictions and cited negative business impacts.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The right-rated report led with Bondi survivor Leon Elski's statement that "Something has failed" and his support for gun laws. It included his description of shielding his daughter during the attack and his view that existing checks were insufficient. The report also featured arguments from gun sellers and the Shooters Union president for the repeal of restrictions, detailing the adverse effects on their businesses.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Bondi survivor backs gun laws amid repeal push?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 67% are rated left, 16% are rated centre, 17% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 7. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Bondi survivor backs gun laws amid repeal push left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Bondi survivor backs gun laws amid repeal push biased?
- Bondi survivor backs gun laws amid repeal push is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Bondi survivor backs gun laws amid repeal push?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Bondi survivor backs gun laws amid repeal push?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Bondi survivor Leon Elski say at the parliamentary inquiry?
- Leon Elski testified in support of tighter firearm laws, stating that 'something has failed' despite existing checks. He described shielding his daughter during the Bondi Beach massacre and advocated for stronger checks on those seeking firearm licences for legitimate purposes.
- What is the position of gun store owners and the Shooters Union?
- Gun store owners and Shooters Union president Graham Park argued for the repeal of post-massacre gun restrictions. They reported significant negative impacts on their businesses and stated that licensed shooters should not be penalised for terrorist acts.
- What specific detail about the attackers was reported?
- PerthNow and The Examiner reported that one of the alleged attackers legally purchased six guns. This purchase occurred despite his son being known to counter-terrorism authorities, raising questions about the effectiveness of existing checks.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- Gun shops at odds with shooting survivor over crackdown (opens The Advocate in a new tab)
The Advocate — is The Advocate biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Gun shops at odds with shooting survivor over crackdown (opens The Examiner in a new tab)
The Examiner — is The Examiner biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Gun shops at odds with shooting survivor over crackdown (opens Newcastle Herald in a new tab)
Newcastle Herald — is Newcastle Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Gun shops at odds with shooting survivor over crackdown (opens The Canberra Times in a new tab)
The Canberra Times — is The Canberra Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
1Right
1Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
