GCA welcomes NSW firearms reforms as important first step
Gun Control Australia (GCA) welcomes the NSW Government’s decision to undertake the most significant strengthening of gun laws in NSW in a generation.
The proposed reforms will reduce access to dangerous firearms, improve oversight of gun ownership, and lower the overall number of guns in the community—measures that will directly improve public safety.
GCA strongly welcomes the reclassification of high-risk, rapid-fire firearms so they are no longer available to recreational shooters. These weapons have no place in recreational settings and should never have been as widely accessible as they are today.
The organisation also supports the reduction of standard firearms licence terms from five years to two years, along with stronger identity checks and the increased use of criminal intelligence in licensing decisions. More frequent renewals and better information-sharing are essential to ensuring firearms do not end up in the wrong hands.
GCA welcomes the Federal Government’s partnership with the NSW Government to fund a firearm buy-back, noting that buy-backs remain one of the most effective ways to permanently reduce the number of guns in circulation.
The introduction of a cap on the number of firearms an individual can own is a long-overdue reform. While a limit of four firearms is a significant improvement on unlimited ownership, GCA believes four remains too many and should be reviewed over time, with public safety as the guiding principle.
GCA also welcomes changes to the unlicensed shooting exemption but maintains that a full licensing requirement would provide stronger and more consistent safeguards than a permit-based system.
The organisation continues to have serious concerns about recreational hunting licences, which remain far too easy to obtain. If the NSW Government is not prepared to abolish these licences, it must significantly tighten the criteria for access to ensure firearms are only available to people who can clearly demonstrate genuine need and responsibility.
“Ultimately, Australia’s gun laws are only as strong as the weakest link,” GCA President Tim Quinn said. “These reforms will not reach their full potential unless other states and territories follow NSW’s lead and move quickly to strengthen their own gun laws.”
GCA looks forward to working constructively with governments to build on these reforms and improve community safety across Australia.
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