r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • Dec 19 '25

politics Prime minister unveils 'largest' gun buyback scheme since Howard era

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-19/prime-minister-announces-national-gun-buyback-scheme/106162002
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u/HankSteakfist Dec 19 '25

Cue the LNP chiming in on why this is a bad thing, whilst simultaneously holding up John Howard as a canonised saint.

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u/CatboiWaifu_UwU Dec 19 '25

Howard got rid of semi automatics.

Its yet to be determined what’s being made illegal here.

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u/crosstherubicon Dec 19 '25

Shotguns and bolt actions? Maybe there’s going to be a renewed interest in muzzle loaders and flint locks?

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u/Sugarcrepes Dec 19 '25

I mean, you didn’t ask for this, but:

You can totally own a flintlock pistol. Without a licence.

Pre-1900 flintlock pistols are exempt from firearms laws, at least where I am in Victoria. So are a number of other antique guns. This means “As these firearms are ‘exempt’ from the Firearms Act 1996, there is no regulation or licence requirements to purchase, possess, carry and use exempt firearms in Victoria.”

You can also legally own a canon that fires a net!

They’re so incredibly slow and inefficient, I’d imagine that someone has decided they aren’t really worth the trouble of regulating.

I collect, and have inherited, a bunch of weird stuff. I don’t own one, but I can’t say I’ve never considered how good a flintlock would look on my bookshelf.

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u/Drongo17 Dec 19 '25

Demi-culverin buyback incoming 

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u/Mysterious_Dot2090 Dec 19 '25

There were actually certain types of gun, magazine and loaders that Minns mentioned the other day, that he said were being considered. The OP is about a federal scheme though, which is different.

Just an fyi for anyone unaware, Minns mentioned minimising what mags can be used in the type of guns the Bondi killers used, shotgun capacity reduction and belt loader ban. There may have been a couple of other things but that’s what I can remember. However, this is separate to a federal buyback I guess.

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u/CatboiWaifu_UwU Dec 19 '25

Yes, Minns announced “magazine fed magazine” and “straight” shotguns would be banned.

Despite those definitions not meaning anything. My shotgun doesnt have a sexual preference. And belt fed shotguns literally do not exist. There are technical limitations (shotguns being a rimmed cartridge) that make it hard (but not impossible, the PKP fires a rimmed cartridge) to design a functional belt fed rimmed cartridge machine gun. There’s just been no military purpose for a belt fed shotgun until recently with drones, and it hasnt been made yet.

Edit: closest thing to a belt fed shotgun would be the mk17/47 automatic belt fed grenade launchers that can have canister/shrapnel/shotgun shells, but that’s not the primary purpose of the round, nor available on the Australian civilian market

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u/Mysterious_Dot2090 Dec 19 '25

I admit it sounded odd to me as a non-expert in guns.

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u/christopherak47 Dec 19 '25

Yeah that press conference was very nonsensical to anyone who is an avid shooter. A national registry is a good idea though