Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has said he will absolutely not take part in the national gun buyback, arguing good people should keep their weapons. NSW police stations in six locations will accept surrendered guns from November 2, with 34 more sites opening from December 1. NSW is the only state so far to sign up, and the scheme will compensate people for firearms they can no longer legally own. NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said fewer guns in the community means a safer community.
Firearms licence holders in NSW can now book through the Gun Safe portal to surrender eligible guns and ammunition for compensation. The scheme officially starts on 2 November and is expected to see up to 274,000 firearms returned in the state. It follows the Bondi Beach terror attack earlier this year, in which 15 people were killed. Only Sutherland and Penrith police stations take bookings in the first phase, with more stations opening later in November and in 2027. Police Minister Yasmin Catley said fewer guns in the community mean a safer community.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has told gun owners who do not want to surrender their firearms to hold on to them. She vowed to scrap key elements of the state's gun buyback scheme if the Liberals win government in the March election. The Shooters Union has urged gun owners to boycott the scheme. Phase one, due to start in two weeks, offers between $450 and $1000 to licence holders who are above the new legal limit. Sloane said the focus should be on illegal firearms held by organised criminals and terrorists instead.
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NSW's joint state and Commonwealth gun buyback opens on 2 November. Owners who hold more firearms than the new 4- or 10-gun limits allow are eligible for payments of $1000 for revolvers and $850 for semi-automatic handguns and double-barrel shotguns. Dealers can access grants of up to $25,000. A second phase, with compensation for eligible firearms valued above $3000, is planned for early 2027. The Opposition Leader, Kellie Sloane, has pledged to freeze the buyback and scrap ownership limits for farmers if elected in March, pending a commission of inquiry.
Firearms manufacturer Jeff Bacon will be second on One Nation's upper house ticket in New South Wales. He wants the state's post-Bondi gun laws repealed, saying every rifle his Tamworth company makes has been banned in the state. Bacon said his business faces collapse because of the reforms. Gun reforms passed in December limit recreational licence holders and include a federal buyback scheme. A Resolve poll in September found 63 per cent of voters supported the reforms, while 33 per cent of One Nation voters opposed them.
