Second jurisdiction agrees to federal gun buyback

The ACT has become the second jurisdiction to agree to a gun buyback scheme with the federal government in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting.

The Commonwealth will pay 75 per cent of the compensation and other costs associated with purchasing and destroying the guns, while the territory will pay the remainder.

About 14 per cent of the 7000 gun licence holders, who own a combined 23,000 firearms in the territory, may also be affected by a proposed cap on the number of guns owned.

ACT Police Minister Marisa Paterson said more information about the details and process will be made available once the agreement is finalised.

“I want to recognise that the majority of firearms owners are responsible and law-abiding, and we acknowledge that the reform agenda is significant,” she said.

“We are here to work with the community as we progress through the changes.”

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The territory already has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and this year introduced a limit on the number of guns an individual can hold, created an offence for possession of digital blueprints to create gun and gun parts and re-categorised guns.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked the ACT for joining the effort, saying it would help keep communities safe.  

“I thank the ACT government for their collaboration as we work to take guns off our streets in order to better protect Australians,” he said.

It comes after the federal government signed a similar agreement with NSW in its national gun reform plan following the antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach on December 14.

The federal and NSW governments split the cost evenly, with the phased process to start on November 2.

NSW has an estimated 50,000 gun holders and about 274,000 registered guns.

“National gun reform is an important part of making sure an antisemitic terrorist attack like we saw at Bondi can’t happen again,” Albanese said.

The Nationals have raised concerns that the national gun buyback scheme unfairly targets law-abiding gun owners and does not deal with the antisemitism behind the Bondi attack.

“Not one law-abiding firearm owner in this country is walking around Australian streets with their guns,” Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie told reporters last week.

“The only people walking the streets with guns are criminals and organised crime.”

The federal government has targeted antisemitism through tougher laws and a royal commission.