On the day when memorial events to mourn the victims of the Sydney shooting attack were held nationwide in Australia, another shooting occurred, leaving three people dead.
According to foreign media including the BBC and the Guardian on the 22nd (local time), a shooting took place that afternoon in the village of Lake Cargelligo in New South Wales (NSW) in southeastern Australia, killing two women and one man. Another man was seriously injured but is not in life-threatening condition, reports said. The victims were known to be two couples.
Australia's Sydney Morning Herald reported that one gunman, armed with a long gun, is hiding in the village. It added that the incident is suspected to be related to domestic violence.
According to the report, Australian police believe the suspect fled by car and have deployed heavily armed units to the scene to search for the suspect.
Through social media, Australian police said, "A police operation is currently underway in Lake Cargelligo," and urged, "Avoid the area, and residents should remain indoors."
The day also coincided with a memorial day event to mourn the victims of the shooting attack that occurred in Sydney a month ago. At 7:01 p.m., millions of people across the country reportedly observed a one-minute moment of silence. In countless homes, candles were lit in windows and at front doors.
Earlier, on the 14th of last month (local time), two armed men opened fire at a Jewish festival held at Bondi Beach in eastern Sydney, killing 16 and injuring 40. With another shooting occurring in just over a month, concerns over gun crime in Australia are expected to grow further.
On the 20th, Australia's House and Senate passed a bill to strengthen gun control and crack down on hate crimes in response to the shooting attack. The gun control law permits gun ownership only for Australian citizens, strengthens background checks by using information from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) during permitting, and centers on the government purchasing and destroying hundreds of thousands of privately owned firearms.
After 35 people were killed in a mass shooting in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in 1996, the Australian government purchased and destroyed about 640,000 guns. It now plans to implement a similar nationwide "gun buyback program."
In addition, NSW introduced state-level regulations that limit individuals to owning up to four firearms and require licensed gun owners to join a gun club.