Australia to launch New South Wales gun buyback in November following Bondi Beach shooting
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a gun buyback program in New South Wales starting November 2, alongside stricter licensing checks, in response to the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack.
Australia's prime minister said New South Wales will begin a gun buyback scheme on Nov. 2, part of a national response to the deadly December 14, 2025, shooting at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah event that left 15 dead. The program will offer owners up to 1,000 Australian dollars for each handgun or rifle surrendered, and will be accompanied by tighter gun-licence checks.
The attack, carried out with legally obtained firearms, prompted the state to introduce limits of four guns per person. The government noted that the country now has a record 4.1 million firearms, with more than 1.1 million in New South Wales.
"Australians are quite rightly proud of our gun laws, but the fact is there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback," Albanese said in televised remarks.
The measures echo reforms after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which led to sweeping restrictions on automatic and semi-automatic weapons.