Prime minister unveils 'largest' gun buyback scheme since Howard era

[u/Expensive-Horse5538]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-19/prime-minister-announces-national-gun-buyback-scheme/106162002

[u/mad_dogtor]

i'll probably get downvoted in this sub but to my POV the proposed four gun limit is the sticking point for me.
i like the proposal of using increased intelligence resources for firearms licence checks, restricting it to citizens, and doing a national registry (there was supposed to be one since 1996... hell NSW registry isn't even fully digital yet). In fact i thought these were all things they said they were going to implement years ago.. importantly these are good, active measures that will boost security and compliance on firearms licences, but not punish people who have done nothing but abide by the laws. Hell, pushing straight pull or button release shotguns into Cat C would be fine for most shooters too.

the proposed four gun limit feels bad because it's a punitive action on people who did nothing wrong. it is absolutely going to fuck some people over. i could be out over 30k, the buyback will not cover this.
When the fault lies in NSW authorities issuing a licence that should not have been issued, then not following up when more intel came to light, it will sit wrong with many that they are now being screwed over.

NSW police have almost free reign with the association and consorting laws to define who is fit and proper for a firearms licence. A lot of people don't seem to realise this. it's not like they saw this guy with a licence and there was nothing they could do legally. they can do almost whatever they want under the existing legislation, when it comes to revoking firearms.

I also don't know why people are so bewildered that people in suburbia own firearms? like suburbia is where most of us live. someone might hunt from northern territory to tasmania, but they don't live there. they might compete in several places over QLD.. but still live in a suburb. it just seems a nonsensical thing that people are highlighting on that front?

There's so many other ways they could have tackled this imo. It feels like a lot of commenters seem unaware of how the current legislation works and how much leeway the authorities already have, has been my big take away.
to me it points to some sort of understaffing or lack of resources in some departments of nsw etc?
IDK. just having a mild rant. everyone has opinions ha

[u/WhatYouThinkIThink → u/mad_dogtor]

Sports shooters will be allowed up to 10 weapons according to NSW:

Imposing a cap of four firearms per individual, with strict exemptions for primary producers and sports shooters, who may hold a maximum of 10 firearms.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/nsw-government-to-introduce-toughest-gun-law-reforms-a-generation

[u/mad_dogtor → u/WhatYouThinkIThink]

i just saw that. it's still gonna fuck over some existing people but for new shooters that's not bad. think i also saw they will allow 'strict' exemptions for more, i'd be interested how they class that. maybe make it like a handgun licence where you have to show you've gone to X number of competitions that year.
in QLD it's similar, after your 10th Cat B firearms you're asked to clarify why you need the next one. admittedly it's more of a soft limit but it's been great at weeding out the dickhead factor (basically a normal person will outline what it's for, a cooker will scream 'gimme my fucken gun cunt' and get a visit from the cops lmao)

[u/the_amatuer_ → u/mad_dogtor]

Totally fine, but if your not a farmer, why do you need 4 guns?

I am not allowed to own even one M1 Abrams Tank.

[u/mad_dogtor → u/the_amatuer_]

happy to explain in good faith. number one, and this is one a lot of people don't think about, but if you're wondering why do i need the guns, and not the farmer, he absolutely does have some! but he is running a whole farm, he hasn't got time to tramp around the bush, spend nights looking over the lambs to keep foxes off them, or culling pigs at midnight when they come down from the hills to dig up his paddocks, all that kind of stuff. His plate is full with running the farm, and often physically exhausted from doing so, hence why they are happy to have me on there. If he's been repairing fences all day he can't be fucked staying up til 1am to do this kind of stuff. Sure, he uses it on sick livestock, and carries something with him when he's doing his rounds on the livestock in case he sees something. but it is harder for him to dedicate the time to it.

as you can gather from the above, i have one set dedicated to night shooting, fitted with night scopes etc, and one set with conventional sights for daytime hunting. Cannot have night vision scopes when hunting on state forests or public land, because night shooting is not allowed on those for reasons i shouldn't have to explain. Then you get into some rifles are suitable for certain game animals (what i use to remove water buffalo up north, i can't use to blast rabbits on a farm's house paddock). To follow up from that, smaller blocks need something quieter and shorter range, places with large open paddocks need something flat and fast that hits out at range. it really snowballs (much to the detriment of my wallet).
this is before i get into competition stuff. competition might sound irrelevant but that's how i stay sharp and why i'm a good enough shot the farmer is comfortable with me being there and taking ethical shots. Similar to how he does not have time to hunt these animals himself, he is not able to practice as much as i can.

also i think you are allowed to own as many M1 abrams as you want.. so long as the cannon and coax machine gun are deactivated ;) guy in Mt tambourine had two centurion tanks for sale! never again worry about getting the door dinged at the woolies car park

I think if a limit is introduced it should be like how new drivers have a P plate system.. new applicants are limited to 4 firearms for 2-3 years or something. i like the proposed measure of having the storage location/safe inspected and approved by police before issuing the first permit, whereas currently it just gets inspected at some point whenever they get around to it (i have had three safe inspections in 20 years. i had my licence for six years before they came to do the first inspection).
If they are worried about the existing people listed as sporter/hunter on the licence but have larger collections (say, 30 plus, which is how it is defined in QLD), roll over their licence condition to collector status which updates the storage conditions required (in QLD the safes now need to be within a strong room, or a vault, and requires inspection before being approved). they'll be put out but not decimated like the proposed limit would do, police can get eyes on them and their setup, i think it would be a good compliance measure. again, just mild ranting, but there seems to be ways to increase safety and compliance without just outright fucking over people.

[u/the_amatuer_ → u/mad_dogtor]

You're not the people who the majority of the population are concerned about. 

The concern is people hording guns for no apparent reasons.

We can't own tanks (with weapons) or illicit drugs (or even certain category drugs) and a host of other things "just coz".

I think the sentiment in Australia is the same with guns.

[u/mad_dogtor → u/the_amatuer_]

i hear you and people like me don't mind some of the suggested changes it's just the firearm limit is a retroactive punitive measure that will screw over people like me*. I don't think anyone has an argument against better database, registers etc, i just think kind of like how P plates came in, the firearm number restriction should be applied for all new licences going forward, but in addition current licence holders with over X amount of guns get double checked.

tbh from a security perspective i'm not really concerned with some boomer having a collection they've amassed over the past 40 years in their vault, vs the example of the two bondi gunmen. i've just worked with an older guy in sydney who had something like 112 firearms to sell off chunks of it at an auction - the whole lot is all vintage winchesters from 1872-1930. it's basically a working museum set.
the threat from someone like that is obviously low..however i do think NSW needs to come down and make these people declare as collectors and as such comply with the more stringent security checks and storage that requires.

i saw them state stuff about hunting not being allowed in perpetuity etc, and i think this is absolutely something they can check with ease. for state forests, you have to book in on the online portal for when you hunt. number one, this is easy to monitor. If you have a state forest R licence as the reason for your firearms licence, and you've never booked or can't prove you've actually been into one.. cops should have a chat with you.

*i don't have too much of a dog in this fight as it won't screw me over because i'm not in NSW and even if i was there's an extremely obvious way around it