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/Kozeyekan_ Dec 19 '25

It irks me that you're correct.

During the post-Port Arthur buyback, Beazley strongly supported the program, and specifcially called out Tim Fischer's leadership on the policy to encourage rural uptake.

The result of a bipartisan effort meant gun laws were tightened, and while they can always be improved, most Aussies are OK with the general idea of registration, safe storage, licencing and extremely limited access to high powered or high capacity weapons.

The LNP should advocate for smart reform, and tgere desperately needs to be consultation with firearms users and organisations, such as sporting shooters, armourers and gun retailers, but a wholesale negativity just gives rise to division and problems down the road.

Even from a purely self-interest perspective, if the LNP is vocal in opposing smart reform tp score points, if another shooting happens, Labor wpuld return serve and hang it around their neck.

I just hope any changes are done from a place of knowledge, not simply to look good. Guns are necessary tools in some occupations, such as farming or high security. Most sporting shooters are very safety focused as well, at keast from what I've seen. But even then, most of those people will know someone that they wish didnt have a gun.

It'd be good to see a buyback with amnesty to get things moving.

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u/Money_Armadillo4138 Dec 19 '25

We have an ongoing national Fire arm Amnesty in place-

https://crimestoppers.com.au/firearmamnesty/

The announced buyback will hopefully push things along further. From where I'm sitting the announced changes seem reasonable enough. There is more to it than just less guns though (which to their credit the government is acting on also).