Media Release
20 January 2026
Gun Control Australia welcomes the passage of the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Act 2026 and commends the Albanese Government, with Greens support, for acting decisively to strengthen Australia’s gun laws in the wake of the Bondi mass shooting.
This legislation represents a significant step forward in protecting our communities. It establishes a national firearms buyback scheme – an approach with a proven record of reducing the number of high-risk firearms in circulation and preventing future tragedies.
The reforms also strengthen firearms background checking by enabling assessments to draw on defined national intelligence inputs, closing critical gaps that have existed across jurisdictions. In addition, the legislation strengthens oversight of firearm and related component imports and exports at Australia’s borders.
We particularly welcome the Government’s commitment to establishing a National Firearms Safety Council, as proposed by Greens Senators Larissa Waters and David Shoebridge. The Council will provide independent, evidence-based oversight to ensure firearm laws and regulations consistently prioritise public safety across Australia.
These reforms align with long-standing community expectations, reinforced yet again by the horror of the Bondi gun massacre. Australia is home to more than four million privately owned firearms, many of them stored insecurely in suburban homes. Around 2,000 guns are reported lost or stolen each year, roughly one every four hours.
By reducing the number of firearms in the community and strengthening national safeguards, this legislation will help make Australia safer. While there is more work to do, today marks an important and historic step toward preventing gun violence and protecting lives.
Quotes attributable to GCA Vice-President Roland Browne:
- “This is a major and welcome step forward for gun safety in Australia. The passage of this Bill modernises our federal firearms laws and helps close dangerous gaps that have been allowed to grow for too long.”
- “The national firearms buyback is a proven, evidence-based measure. We’ve seen before that removing high-risk guns from circulation prevents tragedies and makes communities safer.”
- “Australia’s success has always rested on a simple principle: firearms regulation is about public safety, not individual entitlement. A gun licence is a privilege, not a right — and this Bill reinforces that principle.”
- “Less than 4% of Australians own guns, while opinion polls show that tighter gun laws are supported by the vast majority of Australians.”
- “This legislation begins the work of reducing the number of high-risk firearms in our community. Now we need state governments to follow through by restricting firearms capable of mass shootings through a new 2026 National Firearms Agreement.”
Gun Control Australia’s submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the Bill is available here.
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