Australia is in mourning following a devastating attack where two suspected terrorist gunmen, believed to be father and son, opened fire and claimed the lives of 16 people at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday. The tragedy marks the nation’s most lethal mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre nearly three decades ago in April 1996.
The horrific scenes that unfolded in Sydney, where Jewish people attending a Hanukkah celebration were deliberately targeted, brought back painful memories of the terror witnessed in Tasmania. Like the appalling weekend events, innocent children going about their daily lives were mercilessly gunned down.
A forensic psychologist who previously interviewed Martin Bryant, the perpetrator behind Australia’s most deadly mass shooting, has recently shared the spine-chilling comment that has haunted him ever since.
Professor Paul E. Mullen, Bristol-born but Australia-based, conducted interviews with Bryant, then a 28-year-old isolated misfit, following his brutal murder of 35 people and wounding of 23 others during his rampage at Tasmania’s Port Arthur tourist site.
He questioned the killer 48 hours following the shootings while he lay restrained in a hospital bed. This occurred after Bryant, who had suffered severe burns, attempted to take his own life by igniting a guesthouse.
Recalling the most chilling remark any mass shooter has ever made to him, Paul revealed to the Mirror: « Early on in our first interview, he asked with a sly smile if I knew that he now held the record. I did not have to ask him what record. »
This « record » involved Bryant, who had researched similar atrocities, slaying more individuals than any other solitary gunman in history. The abhorrent record has since been eclipsed, including the Las Vegas massacre in 2017 where 60 people perished.
Paul, who has encountered more mass killers than most experts in his profession, also outlined the singular characteristic they all share. He stated: « A common psychological feature in these people is intense resentment directed at the world in general.
« Grievance is anger directed at specific experiences and perceived injustices or humiliations. Resentment is the constant reliving of grievances in which the individual failed to respond usually for fear of the consequences. Eventually resentment becomes central to how the individual experiences the world. »
Paul recently published a book entitled Running Amok where he explored the psyche of mass murderers.
He revealed that childhood abuse was seldom a contributing factor to their crimes, stating: « Gross abuse and neglect rarely has prominence in their history as children. Most are of normal or even above normal intellectual ability. In short, they are very different from the vast majority of violent offenders.
« A high proportion have extreme right wing political views together with racist ideas. A small number subscribe to fundamentalist religious beliefs. »
Following the Port Arthur massacre, significant changes to gun laws were enacted, including a ban on semiautomatic and pump-action shotguns and rifles. Further measures could be considered in the wake of the Bondi Beach tragedy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that « the need for tougher gun laws » will be discussed at an upcoming national cabinet meeting.
He stated: « This afternoon, at four o’clock, I will put on the agenda of the national cabinet tougher gun laws, including limits on the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals, a review of licences over a period of time. People’s circumstances change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity. »
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