NSW gun buyback starts today: payouts of $450 to $1,000, six police stations, and every first-round appointment already taken
New South Wales opened its 12-month gun buyback on November 2, prompted by the Bondi attack. Owners get A$450-A$1,000 per gun in phase one; bookings are full.
At a glance
- The 12-month NSW gun buyback began on Monday, November 2, 2026. It is part of the national scheme announced after the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack.
- Phase one pays A$450 to A$1,000 per firearm depending on type. Up to A$10,000 is promised for higher-value guns in phase two next year.
- Only six police stations are taking bookings and all appointments are full; 34 more stations join in early December.
- Recreational hunters will be capped at four guns and most others at 10, but existing owners do not have to hand anything in yet.
- Only NSW and the ACT have signed up. The state opposition and One Nation both promise to scrap or change the rules.
Licensed gun owners in New South Wales can start handing in firearms for cash from today, Monday, November 2, 2026, under a 12-month buyback created after the Bondi Beach terror attack. The first round pays A$450 to A$1,000 per gun, only six police stations are taking part so far, and Police Minister Yasmin Catley says every available appointment has been booked.
The scheme is voluntary for now. Existing owners do not yet have to give up any firearms, because the regulations that will apply the new ownership limits to them are still being written.
The scheme at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Start | November 2, 2026, running for 12 months |
| Phase one payment | A$450 to A$1,000 per firearm, depending on type |
| Phase two payment | Up to A$10,000 for higher-value guns, next year; details not finalised |
| Who pays | NSW and the federal government, split 50-50 |
| First police stations | Dubbo, Griffith, Grafton, Penrith, Sutherland, Narellan |
| Next stations | 34 more take bookings from early December |
| How to book | NSW Police Gun Safe website |
| Which governments have joined | NSW and the ACT only; Western Australia ran its own in 2024 |
What the new caps mean for owners
Demand will be driven largely by limits on how many guns one person may own. Recreational hunters will be allowed four. Sporting shooters, farmers, pest controllers and other professionals will be allowed 10.
These limits already apply to anyone acquiring a new weapon. They have not been formalised for people who already own more, and exemptions are still being finalised. The government has ruled out exemptions for recreational hunters, but it proposes that some other owners could keep more than 10 with the police commissioner's permission. Catley has offered two examples: a farmer who keeps guns on several properties, and an elite sporting shooter who needs different firearms for different events.
If you own more than your limit, no surrender deadline has been set yet. With the first six stations fully booked, the next chance of a slot is likely to come when the additional stations open in December. Phase two rates for higher-value guns have not been published.
Farmers call the payout "a joke"
Rural groups are the loudest critics. Wagga Wagga farmer Alan Brown called the buyback a knee-jerk response and said the money on offer is far below what most guns are worth, predicting that people will surrender old weapons and keep good ones. Rebecca Reardon, president of the NSW Farmers Association, said different firearms do different jobs, from shooting small animals up close to culling larger ones from a helicopter.
Catley's case is simple: fewer guns in circulation means a safer community.
The politics have shifted too. The state opposition backed tighter gun controls straight after Bondi but has since hardened its position. Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has rejected the idea that the buyback could prevent another such attack, and told owners last month that they should keep their guns if they do not want to give them up. The Coalition promises to scrap the caps for farmers and sporting shooters if elected. One Nation's state leader, Mike Newman, says he would abolish the caps and end the buyback altogether.
From Bondi Beach to the police station counter
The buyback goes back to December 14, 2025, when a gun attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach killed 15 people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national scheme within days. Australia's best-known earlier buyback followed the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Getting the states on board has proved harder. The national plan relies on each state and territory joining and sharing the cost, and so far only NSW and the ACT have done so, which leaves most of the country outside the scheme for now.
The next firm date for owners in NSW is early December, when the extra 34 police stations begin accepting bookings. The regulations setting out exemptions from the caps, and the phase two prices, have not yet been given a release date.
Questions people are asking
How much will NSW pay for a surrendered gun?
Under phase one, owners receive between A$450 and A$1,000 depending on the type of firearm. Up to A$10,000 is planned for higher-value guns in phase two next year, but those details are not settled.
Do NSW gun owners have to hand in their guns now?
No. The caps of four or 10 firearms already apply to people buying new weapons, but they have not been formalised for existing owners because the regulations and exemptions are still being finalised.
How do you book to return a gun in NSW?
Registered owners book through the NSW Police Gun Safe website. Dubbo, Griffith, Grafton, Penrith, Sutherland and Narellan stations are the first six, and 34 more start taking bookings in early December.
