Politics · NSW gun buybackNSW gun buyback opens: Almost 2,500 firearms booked for surrenderAired November 4, 2026 at 4:42 AM UTCWritten November 4, 2026 at 4:57 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07Gun owners have booked almost two thousand five hundred firearms for surrender in0:11New South Wales on August sixteenth.0:14We reported the buyback would open November2.0:17It's now operating, offering compensation, while rules for existing collections0:22remain unfinished.0:24What must owners surrender now, and what can they keep?0:28More than three hundred and thirty appointments covered almost two thousand five0:31hundred firearms by November two.0:34Those owners had booked future handovers.0:36Police haven't announced a completed surrender total, so we don't yet know how many0:41of those guns have actually been handed in.0:43The scheme runs for twelve months.0:45Existing owners don't yet have to surrender firearms to meet the caps while the0:50government finishes regulations for their holdings.0:53Owners can choose to participate now, but the rules determining what they may keep0:58are still taking shape.1:00The policy followed the anti-Semitic attack on a Hanukkah festival at Bonday Beach1:05that killed fifteen people on December fourteenth.1:08Twenty twenty-five Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the national buyback1:13days.1:13Later, NSW Premier Chris Mins backed tighter firearm controls.1:18On November2, we also reported that armed NSW police patrols had begun in Sydney1:24after the attack.1:25At the buyback's launch, only NSW and the Australian Capital Territory had agreed to1:31participate nationally.1:32Western Australia ran its own buyback in twenty twenty-four.1:36Six police stations initially take appointments.1:39Dubbo, Griffith, Grafton, Penrith, Sutherland, and Norellan1:45registered firearm owners who want to participate must book through NSW Police Gun1:50Safe.1:51Owners need an appointment at a participating station before bringing firearms in.1:56Another thirty-four stations are expected to start accepting bookings in early2:00December, bringing the network to forty.2:03For owners beyond the opening locations, access phase one pays between four hundred2:08and fifty.2:09And one thousand Australian dollars, depending on firearm type, higher value2:14firearms are intended for phase two in twenty twenty-seven, with payments up to ten2:20thousand dollars contemplated.2:21Those later payment details aren't settled.2:24The Commonwealth and NSW split compensation costs fifty fifty.2:29The initial one thousand dollar ceiling means an owner's payment depends on the2:34firearm.2:35Owners considering whether to hand over a higher value working gun also face a later2:40compensation phase, whose terms are still unfinished.2:43The four firearm cap for recreational hunters already applies when acquiring2:48firearms.2:49The limit is ten for sporting shooters, farmers, vertebrate pest controllers, and2:55other professionals.2:56The government hasn't yet formalized how those caps will apply to existing holdings.3:01No exemption is planned for recreational hunters.3:04For some owners in the ten firearm categories.3:07The government proposes permission from the police commissioner to keep more.3:12It hasn't released the precise criteria.3:14Catley offered two examples: a farmer keeping firearms across several properties,3:20and an elite sporting shooter needing different firearms for different events.3:24Owners in those situations would still need to qualify under the eventual permission3:29process.3:30NSW Farmers Association President Rebecca Reardon says, Different firearms serve3:35different jobs.3:36She points to short and long distances, animals of different sizes, moving targets,3:42and work from helicopters or the ground.3:45Farmers want the permissions to accommodate those practical needs.3:48Fourth generation Wagga Wagga farmer Alan Brown called the policy a knee-jerk3:53response.3:54He says worsening feral pest problems make firearms necessary on his property, and3:59argued the government needed a carefully thought-through program instead of a4:03buyback.4:04Brown called the compensation a joke.4:07Compared with what most guns are worth, he predicted people would surrender old4:12rubbish and keep good weapons.4:14That's his prediction about owners' choices.4:16Condition of the booked firearms hasn't been disclosed.4:19Catley argues that reducing firearm numbers makes the community safer.4:24She says more than one gun, on average, is stolen in NSW every day, turning4:30legally held firearms into illegal guns, reducing opportunities for theft and misuse4:35is the government's case for the buyback.4:38The opposition initially backed Minz's call for tighter controls after the attack,4:42then hardened its position.4:44Opposition leader Kelly Sloan called it absolute bullshit to suggest the buyback4:49would prevent another Bondi-style attack.4:51She says organized criminals and terrorists are the real enemy.4:55Sloane told owners, Hold on to your guns if you don't want to give them away.4:59The coalition promises to scrap the caps for farmers and sporting shooters if5:04elected.5:05One nation's NSW leader Mike Newman promises to abolish the caps and scrap the5:10buyback altogether.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSRelated coverageBackgroundNov 2 05:50 UTCSydney’s rifle patrols begin, with their limits still under scrutiny
