Australian Govt Announces National Gun Buyback After Bondi Beach Terror Attack

The Australian Government has announced a National Gun Buyback Scheme, the largest since the Howard Government’s 1996 program, as part of its response to deadly terror attack at Bondi Beach.

The scheme will target surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms, after it unfold that one of the attackers held a valid firearms license and owned six guns, raising concerns over existing licensing standards.

Australia now has more than 4 million firearms in circulation, a figure higher than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre nearly three decades ago, when gun laws were last significantly overhauled, according to the government’s press release.

The federal government will introduce legislation to fund the scheme, with costs shared 50:50 between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, while states and territories will manage the collection, processing and compensation for surrendered firearms.

The Australian Federal Police will destroy surrendered weapons, while the buyback will support national gun law reforms by July 2026, including limits on firearm ownership, tighter licensing rules, and a faster rollout of the National Firearms Register.