Australia's largest gun buyback scheme since the aftermath of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre will be launched in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the scheme this morning, saying it is expected to lead to the seizure and destruction of hundreds of thousands of "surplus, newly banned and illegal" firearms.
"The terrible events at Bondi show we need to get more guns off our streets," he said.
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"We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney's suburbs there at Bonnyrigg.
"There's no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.
"There are now more than 4 million firearms in Australia - more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre nearly 30 years ago."
The cost of the buyback will be evenly split between the federal and state governments.
As in 1996, states will be responsible for collecting the guns, while the Australian Federal Police will be tasked with destroying them.
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The buyback will help enforce the changes to firearm control laws agreed to by national cabinet earlier this week, which will include limiting the number of weapons one person can own, bringing forward the National Firearms Register, and restricting gun licences to Australian citizens.
That overhaul comes after one of the shooters, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, legally owned six long-arm firearms, some of which were used to carry out Sunday's massacre.
He was granted an AB gun licence in NSW in 2023, despite his son having been investigated – and cleared – by ASIO over potential extremist links years earlier.
Any changes to federal laws are unlikely to face any trouble getting through parliament, with Labor holding a comfortable majority in the lower house and needing only the support of the Greens to get the assent of the Senate.
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Senior Coalition figures, though, have signalled their opposition to changes to gun laws, with Nationals leader David Littleproud labelling them a "cheap political smokescreen".
However, Albanese said Australians understood the need for gun controls to be modernised.
"In 1996, the then-Howard government did the right thing: intervened to have a scheme which Australians have been rightly proud of," he said.
"We need to go further... if a bloke in Bonnyrigg needs six high-powered rifles and is able to get them under existing licensing schemes, then there's something wrong.
"I think Australians can see that."
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NSW details stronger gun laws
Having already promised to recall parliament before Christmas to pass stronger state gun laws, NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley detailed exactly what those controls will include.
Licensed residents will be limited to owning four guns each, although there will be some exceptions for farmers, other primary producers, and sporting shooters.
Category A and B licences will now only cover magazines with a capacity of 5-10 rounds, while some guns will be upgraded so they can only be obtained under a category C licence.
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"Will reclassify straight, pull, pump-action, button, lever release firearms into category C - limiting their access primarily to farmers, agriculture, and primary producers," Minns said.
The state will also enforce more frequent licence renewals and stronger identity checks.
"People need to remember: owning a gun is a privilege, it is not a right," Catley said.
"That privilege must never, ever outweigh community safety.
"These reforms ensure there is no ambiguity when it comes to public safety.
"They strengthen oversight, reduce the availability of high-risk firearms, and give the police the tools that they need to intervene as early as possible."
The new legislation will be introduced to NSW parliament on Monday.
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