Archive · 16 Aug 2026
NSW to launch Australia's first gun buyback in November
Last December, something very sad and scary happened in Australia.
People with guns attacked a Jewish celebration on a beach called Bondi Beach in Sydney, and 15 people were killed.
Leaders in Australia want to do everything they can so that something like this never happens again.
One way they are helping is by starting a 'gun buyback', which means the government gives people money if they hand over their guns, and then the guns can be safely destroyed.
The state of New South Wales will be the first state in Australia to do this, starting on 2 November.
People can get up to 1,000 Australian dollars for a rifle, shotgun or handgun, and 450 dollars for an air rifle.
New rules also say most people may only keep four guns, while farmers and sports shooters can keep up to ten.
The state and the federal government are paying for the program together.
Leaders hope this will make people in Australia safer and help the country heal after the sad attack.
New South Wales will become Australia's first state to offer cash for handed-in firearms when its gun buyback starts on 2 November.
Owners can receive up to AUS$1,000 (about US$700) for eligible handguns, shotguns and rifles, and AUS$450 for air rifles.
A second phase beginning early next year will cover higher-value firearms worth more than AUS$3,000, capped at AUS$10,000.
The scheme follows the 14 December attack in which 15 people were shot dead at a Jewish festival on Sydney's Bondi Beach; police say the alleged gunmen, a father and son inspired by Islamic State, used powerful firearms that were legally obtained.
New laws cap ownership at four firearms per individual (ten for farmers and sports shooters), cut licence terms from five years to two, and are jointly funded by NSW and the federal government, with up to AUS$25,000 support per business.
- Who
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns announced the scheme; gun owners and businesses across NSW are affected. The surviving suspect in the Bondi Beach attack, Naveed Akram, 24, has yet to enter pleas to charges including 15 counts of murder.
- What
- The National Gun BuyBack Scheme, under which New South Wales will become Australia's first state to pay cash for handed-in firearms, alongside sweeping firearm law reforms.
- When
- Announced over the weekend of 16 August, with the statements described as made on Saturday in one article and Sunday in two others; the first phase starts 2 November and a second phase begins early next year.
- Where
- New South Wales, Australia; the scheme follows the attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
- Why
- To prevent a repeat of the antisemitic terrorist attack that killed 15 people and to address record numbers of firearms; the buyback is Australia's largest since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania.
- Scheme
- National Gun BuyBack Scheme
- Start date
- 2 November
- Phase 1 payment
- Up to AUS$1,000 (about US$700) for handguns, shotguns and rifles; AUS$450 for air rifles
- Phase 2 payment
- Higher-value firearms above AUS$3,000, capped at AUS$10,000
- Ownership limit
- 4 per individual; 10 for farmers and sports shooters
- Licence term
- Reduced from five years to two
- Firearms in Australia
- Record 4.1 million last year; over 1.1 million in NSW
- Bondi Beach attack
- 15 killed at a Hanukkah celebration on 14 December
