Australia's most populous state will launch a program later this year to buy back legally owned firearms from residents, becoming the first state to offer cash for guns in the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
The initiative is intended to drastically reduce the number of privately owned firearms in New South Wales. Beginning Nov. 2, gun owners in the state will be eligible for payments of up to A$1,000 (about NIS 2,000) for surrendering handguns, shotguns and rifles. Australian authorities pledged sweeping gun-law reforms after 15 people were shot dead by Muslim terrorists at a Jewish festival at Sydney's Bondi Beach, in New South Wales, last December.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said Saturday that "We want these guns handed in, taken off our streets and safely destroyed." Minns said the measure could lead to hundreds of thousands of firearms being surrendered.
Gun ownership reforms already introduced by the state limit individuals to four firearms, although certain owners, including farmers and sport shooters, may be permitted to own up to 10. The program will be available to people who own more firearms than permitted under the new rules, as well as to some owners no longer eligible under licensing requirements. Firearms license terms have also been shortened from five years to two.
The program will be implemented in two phases. The first, beginning Nov. 2, will cover handguns, shotguns and rifles. The second phase will begin in early 2027 and will cover eligible "higher-value firearms" with an indicative market value of more than A$3,000, with compensation capped at A$10,000 per firearm. The National Gun Buyback Scheme is being jointly funded by New South Wales and the federal government. Businesses will be eligible for up to A$25,000 in financial assistance to help them adjust to the reforms, with support also being offered to firearms dealers.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "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."
On Dec. 14, 2025, 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor, were killed during a Hanukkah celebration along Australia's famous Bondi Beach. Australian authorities initially planned a nationwide gun buyback, although implementation has proceeded unevenly as governments worked through funding and implementation issues.
