NSW gun buyback: What it means for hunters

Many of you will have seen by now that the New South Wales Government will launch its gun buyback scheme on November 2, 2026, in response to the Bondi Beach terror attack.

It is anticipated the scheme could affect up to 274,000 registered firearms and around 50,000 licence holders, with compensation available for eligible firearm owners and some financial assistance for businesses and industry to adjust to the reforms.

The SSAA has consistently opposed these reforms, especially given their rushed nature and the lack of any tangible evidence that they will support community safety.

Phase 1 of the NSW Buyback Scheme will include a fixed price schedule for individual licence holders, who are above the new legal limit for their licence, to return their firearms in exchange for fair compensation.

“In the eight months since the Bondi terrorist incident, a number of government deficiencies have come to light, including a lack of deradicalisation funding to target contemporary risks faced by the nation,” stated SSAA Inc CEO Tom Kenyon.

“Since the Federal Government announced they wanted to undertake firearm reforms in December, all they have managed to achieve is taking a nationally consistent approach to firearm regulation and turning it into a patchwork of inconsistencies right across Australia.

“At the end of July, we watched on as the New Zealand Government implemented new firearm laws that they invested significant time and effort into fundamentally assessing what will make their country safer in relation to firearms, while Australians are left with political PR stunts and window dressing.

“The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Interim Report stated that nothing in the pre-existing legislative framework prevented intelligence or law enforcement agencies from taking action that may have prevented the Bondi attack.”

Key elements of the NSW reforms include capping and restricting the number and type of firearms a person can own, strengthening checks on people seeking to own firearms and reducing the licence period from five years to two.

Hunters who own firearms above the new limit will face a choice of surrendering eligible firearms for compensation, making lawful transfers or adjusting their licence arrangements if they qualify for an exemption or higher limit.

The scheme may also change the availability of certain firearms on the second-hand market, especially if large numbers are surrendered and destroyed. Hunters could find it harder or more expensive to replace specialised firearms in future.

These limits will be particularly frustrating for hunters who have lawfully built collections around different game, terrain and hunting methods, and could also affect firearm dealers, the second-hand market and regional businesses connected to hunting.

While the NSW Government argues that reducing firearm numbers will improve public safety, hunters and the broader shooting community will see the reforms as placing a heavier burden on licensed, law-abiding owners rather than directly targeting criminal misuse.

One of the most concerning aspects of these reforms is that one of the Bondi terrorists had been issued a firearms licence by the NSW regulator. Given that, there are legitimate questions about how the regulator will manage such an immense regulatory change and the added burden of the buyback while maintaining community safety.

Those concerns could become even more pronounced if firearms dealers are forced to close as a result of the changes, placing further pressure on NSW Police and the Firearms Registry during an already substantial regulatory overhaul.

At the end of the day, there is truly little benefit in these changes for hunters. At worst, they risk placing further strain on the very regulatory system responsible for keeping firearm ownership safe, lawful and properly controlled for hunters and the wider community.