Australia sets November 2 start for major gun buyback
New South Wales will offer up to A$1,000 per rifle or handgun as Australia tightens gun controls after the Bondi Beach attack
- A major gun buyback will begin in Australia's New South Wales state on November 2.
- The program is a national response to a deadly shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
- Owners who surrender eligible rifles and handguns will be offered compensation of up to A$1,000 per firearm.
- It is the country's largest gun buyback since the one initiated after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Australia’s New South Wales state will begin a major gun buyback on November 2, offering owners up to A$1,000, or about US$700, for each eligible rifle or handgun surrendered.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the start date on Sunday as part of a national response to the December 14 shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, which killed 15 people.
The federal government passed legislation in January establishing a gun buyback, strengthening checks on firearm licence applicants and introducing measures against hate-related conduct following the attack.
The programme will be Australia’s largest gun buyback since the campaign introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where a gunman killed 35 people.
Record firearm numbers drive new controls
Australia had a record 4.1 million firearms last year, according to government figures.
More than 1.1 million were registered in New South Wales, the country’s most populous state.
Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns confirmed in a joint statement that owners surrendering rifles and handguns would be eligible for compensation of up to A$1,000 per firearm.
“Australians are quite rightly proud of our gun laws, but the fact is there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback,” Albanese said.
New South Wales has also introduced a limit of four firearms for most individuals under reforms adopted after the Bondi Beach attack.
Bondi attack prompted national response
Authorities said the alleged gunmen used powerful firearms that had been obtained legally during the attack on the Jewish festival.
Police identified the alleged attackers as a father and son and said they were believed to have been inspired by Islamic State.
Naveed Akram, the 24-year-old surviving suspect, has yet to enter pleas to multiple charges, including 15 counts of murder.
