'Something has failed': Bondi survivor backs gun laws

Detailed summary

A Bondi massacre survivor has recalled shielding his children from bullets, as gun sellers argue a weapons crackdown has been catastrophic for business.

A survivor of Australia's worst terrorist incident is backing tighter firearm laws as gun store owners argue for their repeal.

After the Bondi Beach massacre on December 14, 2025 when 15 people died, NSW Premier Chris Minns introduced tough restrictions on gun ownership, including a cap on the number of firearms an individual can own.

Appearing before a parliamentary inquiry into legislation that would repeal those reforms, Bondi survivor Leon Elski said he backed the crackdown.

Mr Elski was attending the Chanukah festivities with 10 members of his immediate family when two men opened fire.

He described lying on top of his eight-year-old daughter to shield her while his wife and 10-year-old daughter hid under a plastic table.

"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 on Friday.

"There's obviously quite decent layers of checks in place, but with all of that said, something has failed."

Mr Elski backed stronger checks determining if a person is seeking a firearms licence for legitimate purposes.

Gun enthusiasts disagreed with Mr Elski's perspective, including Shooters Union president Graham Park and several store owners.

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