Australia Enacts Landmark Gun Law Reforms Following Bondi Attack

Parliament Passes Sweeping Gun Control Measures

Australia's Parliament has enacted some of the most significant changes to the nation's gun laws since the landmark 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The new legislation, passed on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, introduces a national gun buyback scheme and significantly toughens background checks for firearm owners. These reforms come in direct response to a terror attack that occurred last month at Bondi Beach.

Key Provisions of the New Legislation

The newly passed laws introduce a range of stringent measures designed to enhance firearm control across Australia. Key aspects include:

• A national buyback scheme, which will be coordinated by the federal government in cooperation with the states.
• Tighter regulations to prevent the importation of various firearms.
• Restrictions on the importation of belt-fed ammunition, magazines exceeding 30 rounds, silencers, and speed loaders.
• The abolition of open-ended import permits for firearms.
• More rigorous and frequent background checks for gun owners, facilitated by improved information sharing between government agencies and security bodies.
• The establishment of an offense for using a carriage service to access material related to the manufacture or modification of guns, accessories, explosives, or other lethal devices.
• Authorization for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) to provide intelligence for background checks, which will be conducted by AusCheck.
• Confirmation of an individual's citizenship status as part of the background check process.

National Buyback Scheme and State Cooperation

The national gun buyback scheme is a central component of these reforms, echoing the comprehensive program implemented after the 1996 Port Arthur tragedy. While the federal government will coordinate the initiative, its success relies on cooperation from individual states and territories. However, Queensland is reportedly expected to oppose the national buyback, a contrast to the broad national support seen for the 1996 scheme, which resulted in the destruction of approximately 650,000 firearms.

Context and Future Outlook

These legislative changes represent a significant shift in Australia's approach to gun control. As of December, there were over 4.1 million registered firearms in Australia, a number higher than at any point since 1996. In addition to the federal legislation, further changes have been agreed upon by the National Cabinet at the state and territory levels. These include limiting recreational firearm owners to four guns and commercial or farming users to ten guns. The federal government aims for states to commit to these changes by March and legislate them by July.