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Australia gun buyback spurred by Bondi attack to start in November, PM says
Al Jazeera • • world
Key Points:
- New South Wales will launch a gun buyback scheme on November 2, offering up to 1,000 Australian dollars ($700) per handgun or rifle surrendered, as part of a nationwide response to the deadly Bondi Beach attack in December 2025.
- The buyback will be accompanied by tighter gun licence checks and a crackdown on hate speech, according to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
- The measures follow the Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting that killed 15 people, where the alleged gunman used legally obtained powerful firearms.
- Australia currently has a record 4.1 million firearms, with over 1.1 million in New South Wales, which recently limited gun ownership to four guns per person.
- Prime Minister Albanese noted that despite proud gun laws, firearm numbers have increased since the 1996 Port Arthur buyback, which followed a mass shooting that killed 35 people.
