Liberals pledge buyback freeze

NSW firearm laws will go back under the microscope if the Liberal-Nationals Coalition wins the March 2027 state election.

NSW Liberal leader Kellie Sloane has pledged to freeze the state’s gun buyback while a proposed commission of inquiry reviews the firearms laws passed after the December 2025 Bondi terror attack.

The policy would also remove firearm ownership caps for primary producers and competition sporting shooters who can demonstrate a genuine need, while asking the inquiry to examine a possible pathway for recreational hunters involved in pest control.

The announcement comes less than two months before the first phase of the NSW buyback is due to begin on November 2.

It is also a change from the position taken by the NSW Liberals in December 2025, when the opposition voted with the government to support the legislation containing ownership limits and the framework that led to the buyback.

Sloane says that support was given on the basis that the laws would be reviewed if unintended consequences became apparent.

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley has described the new position as a backflip and accused the opposition of walking away from reforms it previously supported.

What the Liberals are proposing
The Liberal policy released on September 19 has three parts dealing directly with firearm owners.

First, the buyback would be frozen while a commission of inquiry examined the current legislation. During that period, licensed owners would not be required to surrender firearms solely because they exceeded the new ownership limits.

Existing police powers to suspend or cancel licences and seize firearms on public safety grounds would remain.

Second, the party says it would remove the caps applying to primary producers and competition sporting shooters where the owner can demonstrate a genuine operational need.

The proposed inquiry would also examine a pathway for recreational hunters who assist farmers with vertebrate pest control.

Third, the commission would examine broader parts of the NSW firearms system, including licence categories, background checks, intelligence sharing, genuine-reason requirements, the Firearms Registry and licence renewals.

The Liberals say any buyback proceeding after that inquiry should provide what they describe as fair compensation and allow ammunition and accessories to be surrendered with affected firearms.

What the current limits are
Restrictions on Permit to Acquire applications have applied since December 24, 2025.

Under the current NSW Police settings, primary producers, people with occupational rural requirements and those with an animal-welfare genuine reason are limited to 10 firearms unless the Commissioner approves a higher number.

The same 10-firearm limit applies to sport and target shooters, vertebrate pest animal controllers and people holding firearms for relevant business or employment reasons.

Most other licence holders, including people whose genuine reason is recreational hunting and vermin control, are limited to four.

Licensed firearm dealers and collectors are not subject to those numerical limits, while someone with more than one genuine reason receives the highest applicable limit.

NSW Police has also made clear that owners who were already above the new limits were not subject to immediate firearm seizure when the PTA restrictions began. The buyback is intended to provide a mechanism for affected firearms as the reforms take effect.

Buyback starts in November under current policy
Unless there is another change before then, NSW is scheduled to become the first state to begin the Commonwealth-backed National Gun Buyback Scheme on November 2.

The Commonwealth and NSW governments have agreed to share the costs of the buyback 50:50.

Phase one will operate under a fixed payment schedule.

Current NSW Government figures list $1000 for a centrefire rifle, $600 for a rimfire rifle, $850 for a double-barrel shotgun, $650 for a single-barrel shotgun and $450 for an air rifle.

Handgun payments include $1000 for a revolver and $850 for a semi-automatic.

The scheme will cover eligible owners affected by firearm-number limits, reclassification changes and other parts of the 2025 legislation. Ammunition is also included.

A second phase planned for early 2027 is intended to provide a separate valuation pathway, for a fee, for eligible firearms with an indicative market value above $3000. Payments would be capped at $10,000 per firearm.

That timetable means the first buyback phase is likely to be operating for several months before voters go to the state election.

Farmers and sporting shooters at centre of proposed changes
The Coalition proposal draws a distinction between licence holders with what it calls a demonstrated operational need and other firearm owners.

Primary producers may own several firearms for different jobs, including pest control, humane destruction of livestock and work across different properties. Competition shooters can also use different firearms across separate disciplines.

Under the Liberal proposal, those two groups would no longer be held to a fixed numerical cap where their need could be demonstrated.

Recreational hunters would not automatically receive the same treatment. Instead, the proposed commission would be asked to determine how hunters involved in pest control on farms could demonstrate a genuine need for additional firearms.

The details of how such a system would operate have not yet been set out.

Government stands by the existing reforms
The Minns Government says the current laws were introduced to strengthen firearm oversight after the Bondi attack and reduce risk through ownership limits, firearm reclassification, tougher eligibility checks and shorter licence periods.

Since July 1, new and renewed firearm licences can be issued for a maximum of two years rather than five. Existing five-year licences issued before that date remain valid for their original approved term.

Additional checks on genuine reasons, safe storage and eligibility for Permits to Acquire also commenced on July 1.

The government says it is investing more than $42.8 million over 10 years in the NSW Firearms Registry, including additional staff and system upgrades.

Catley has criticised the opposition’s proposed reversal, pointing out that the Liberals supported the original legislation.

Sloane’s response is that the opposition’s earlier support was conditional and that consultation since the laws passed has exposed problems that warrant another review.

Those positions will now form part of the state election campaign.

Several parts of the law are still moving
Some of the most substantial firearm classification changes passed in 2025 have still not commenced.

These include the move of straight-pull and pump-action firearms and button or lever-release firearms into Category C, the prohibition of firearms capable of using belt or link ammunition sources, the movement of semi-automatic air guns into Category B and new magazine capacity limits.

NSW Police says those provisions will begin on dates yet to be proclaimed.

That leaves firearm owners dealing with several overlapping stages. PTA limits are already operating, licence changes began in July, the buyback is scheduled for November and further classification changes are still to come.

A change of government in March could add another review before the process is complete.

Six months until the election
The NSW election is due in March 2027.

Under the government’s current schedule, the buyback will already be underway by then.

The Coalition says an incoming government would freeze it, establish a commission of inquiry and determine what happens next after receiving its findings and stakeholder submissions.

Importantly, the announced policy does not represent an immediate change to NSW firearms law.

The existing legislation, ownership limits and November buyback timetable remain in place.

Licence holders affected by the reforms should continue to work from NSW Police and NSW Government instructions unless those rules are formally amended.

The next concrete date is November 2, when phase one of the buyback is scheduled to begin.