Australia moves to remove thousands of guns from circulation after Bondi attack

Australia’s most populous state will launch a gun buyback scheme in November, becoming the first state to offer cash in exchange for firearms following the Bondi Beach terror attack that targeted a Jewish gathering.

Gun owners in New South Wales (NSW) will be offered up to AUS$1,000 ($710) to surrender eligible handguns, shotguns and rifles from 2 November, Australian media reports.

Australian authorities pledged sweeping firearm law reforms after 15 people were shot dead at a Jewish festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in December last year.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the state wanted to ensure excess firearms were removed from circulation.

"We want those guns handed in, compensated for and safely destroyed."

He said the scheme could result in hundreds of thousands of firearms being surrendered.

New gun ownership limits

Gun ownership reforms already introduced in NSW mean individuals can own no more than four firearms, although certain groups, including farmers and sport shooters, can own up to 10.

The buyback scheme will be available to people who have more firearms than permitted under the new rules, as well as those who are no longer covered by a valid licence. The validity period for some licences has also been reduced from five years to two.

The scheme will be implemented in two phases. The first phase, beginning in November, will cover specified handguns, shotguns and rifles.

Those surrendering a revolver, for example, will receive AUS$1,000 ($710), while an air rifle will be eligible for a payment of AUS$450 ($320).

The second phase will begin early next year and cover "higher-value firearms" worth more than AUS$3,000 ($2,130), with compensation capped at AUS$10,000 ($7,100).

The National Gun BuyBack Scheme is being jointly funded by the NSW and federal governments.

Businesses will be eligible for up to AUS$25,000 ($17,750) in financial support to help them adapt to the new regulations, while assistance will also be made available to gun dealers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the reforms were necessary to prevent another attack like the one in Bondi.

"We must do everything we can to make sure the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi doesn't happen again. [...] That includes meaningful nationwide gun reform," he urged.

On 14 December last year, 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed during Hanukkah celebrations along Australia's famed Bondi Beach.

The attack prompted renewed calls for tighter gun controls across Australia.

Australian authorities had initially planned a nationwide gun buyback scheme, but its implementation was delayed amid disputes over funding and questions about how the programme would operate.

Gun buyback programmes have also been introduced in other countries following major incidents of gun violence. Canada and New Zealand have adopted similar initiatives, including measures introduced in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand.

The United States, the country with the by-far most occurrences of gun violence crimes, has also experimented with gun buyback programmed over the past several decades, although such schemes have generally operated on a much smaller scale relative to the country's large number of privately held firearms.

By Nazrin Sadigova