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Australia’s largest gun buyback in a generation is officially underway in New South Wales, where licensed firearm owners are being offered cash to surrender guns affected by the state’s new ownership limits.
The program began accepting firearms on Nov. 2 and is scheduled to run for 12 months. According to the New South Wales government, 331 appointments had already been booked at launch, covering 2,430 firearms and 194 large ammunition submissions.
Premier Chris Minns did not mince words while launching the program.
“These laws will save lives,” he said, according to 7NEWS reporter Taylor Aiken.
Table of contents
What Australia Is Paying for the Guns
Under the first phase, eligible owners can receive:
- $450 for an air rifle
- $600 for a rimfire rifle
- $650 for a single-barrel shotgun
- $850 for a double-barrel shotgun
- $850 for a semiautomatic handgun
- $1,000 for a revolver
- $1,000 for a centerfire rifle
Owners surrendering at least one kilogram of ammunition with an eligible firearm can also receive a one-time $150 payment. A second phase scheduled for early 2027 will create an appraisal process for eligible firearms worth more than $3,000, with compensation capped at $10,000 per gun.
The complete buyback payment schedule is available through NSW Police.
Of course, whether those fixed payments come anywhere close to the actual market value of the guns is another question. Critics argue that owners will surrender inexpensive or worn firearms while holding onto higher-value guns until the appraisal program becomes available.
New Caps Are Driving the Buyback
The program is tied to sweeping firearm restrictions passed after the December 2025 terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people.
Under the new system, recreational hunters will generally be limited to four firearms. Sport and target shooters, pest controllers, primary producers and certain professional users face a standard limit of 10, although some categories may receive permission from the police commissioner to exceed that number.
Licensed collectors and firearm dealers are not subject to the same numerical caps.
The reforms also reclassify several types of firearms, shorten standard firearm-license terms from five years to two and impose new citizenship and magazine requirements. A full breakdown of the legislative changes is available from NSW Police.
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One important detail: the limits are not yet fully in force for people who already own the affected firearms. Owners are not currently required to rush to a police station and surrender guns immediately while the government finalizes regulations and possible exemptions.
Still, once those provisions take effect, owners above the applicable limits will need to surrender, sell or legally transfer their excess firearms.
The government estimates the changes could affect roughly 274,000 registered firearms (about 24 percent of all registered guns in New South Wales) and approximately 50,000 license holders.
Political Fight Already Underway
The NSW and Australian federal governments are splitting the cost of the program, which officials acknowledge could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
While New South Wales is the first jurisdiction to begin accepting firearms, it is not technically the only one to support the national program. The Australian Capital Territory has also agreed to participate, although its buyback has not yet launched. Other states have resisted joining or are pursuing separate plans, per ABC News.
The NSW opposition is promising changes if voters remove Minns’ Labor government in the March election.
Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has pledged to freeze the buyback and remove what she calls arbitrary ownership caps for farmers and competition shooters with legitimate needs. She argues that the government is concentrating on licensed owners while organized criminals continue using illegal firearms.
“The real enemy on our streets at the moment are organised criminals and terrorists,” Sloane said while criticizing the policy.
One Nation is going further, promising to scrap both the caps and the buyback. Some firearm groups have encouraged owners to wait until after the election before participating.
Fewer Civilian Guns, More Police Rifles
There is also an interesting contrast developing.
While the government is paying licensed owners to surrender firearms, it has launched a $94.3 million Armed Response Command equipped with Australian Combat Assault Rifles, rapid-response vehicles and a round-the-clock intelligence center.
The unit will eventually include 250 armed officers and 28 civilian support personnel tasked with patrolling major events, crowded public spaces, sporting venues and places of worship.
So, the government’s response to the Bondi attack is essentially twofold: reduce the number of firearms held by licensed citizens while placing more rifle-equipped police on the streets.
Supporters see that as sensible public safety policy. Gun owners see law-abiding hunters, farmers and competitive shooters paying the price for crimes they did not commit.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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