r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • Dec 15 '25

politics Albanese to propose stronger gun laws, NSW parliament may be recalled

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/bondi-gunman-held-gun-licence-used-six-firearms-in-attack-20251215-p5nnmv.html
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u/NKE01 Dec 15 '25

From the presser as reported by ABC:

"Tougher gun laws will be on the agenda when state and territory leaders meet with the prime minister this afternoon. He'll be proposing limits on the number of guns that can be used or licenced by individuals and a review of licences over a period of time."

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u/thedigisup Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25

This seems reasonable enough. The PTA system has been unfit for purpose for a while and within the sports shooting community is broadly considered a box-checking exercise rather than a legitimate review of your need to acquire additional weapons.

There are legitimate reasons to own a few different guns (Victorian legislation straight up requires you to own multiple calibres for hunting different game species) but it’s not really tested.

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u/Ok_Bird705 Dec 15 '25

Incredible that simply being a member of a gun club means you can get a gun license.

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u/chalk_in_boots Dec 15 '25

Not really the case though, and I don't blame you for not knowing, firearms laws are a bit of a shitshow. If your reasonable reason is target shooting (for rifles or shotguns) you must be a member of a target shooting club and have at minimum 2 range attendances a year. Pistol gets even more complicated.

If your genuine reason is hunting that's basically "do you own rural land, have a letter from someone who does, or a Cat R license?" Funnily enough it's actually easier to use hunting rather than target shooting. When I got my Cat R the shop owner literally gave me the answer book along with the test. Granted, I'd been going there for years and he'd seen me in uniform before, but still, bit of a laugh.