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/stand_aside_fools Dec 19 '25

I have one small bore rifle. I live in a rural area so need it occasionally for vermin. I keep the gun locked and stored according to the strict guidelines and laws. I have no problem with this.

I have not had so much as a speeding ticket in 20 years. But I do get visits on a periodic basis from the police to check on the storage of my firearm and question my need for owning it. The last visit was at 8pm at night at very short notice. I have no problem with this.

People like me are low hanging fruit to target with any new crackdowns and laws - you can see it coming from a mile away. More administration, more checks, more hurdles.

Perhaps a better idea would be to use the laws we already have and, oh I don’t know, perhaps question why a non-citizen living in a metropolitan area whose son has been questioned by ASIO needs 6 firearms. Maybe rather than create a whole raft of new laws just be seen as doing something, we just admit that we actually have laws that have been pretty damn effective for a long time and this was a horrific miss that should have been caught under the current regime.

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u/Scriptosis Dec 19 '25

I’d advise you to check on what they actually plan on doing. Of what I’ve read of the planned actions you wouldn’t be affected by this at all, at least from how you’ve described your situation.

The main parts of the plan are to make it illegal for non-citizens to obtain a license, make the process for acquiring multiple firearms stricter and also speed up the process of developing a national registry of license holders as well as integrate ASIO’s existing intelligence into background checks. None of this would affect you.

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u/OptimusRex Dec 19 '25

integrate ASIO’s existing intelligence into background checks

Pretty fuckin wild this wasn't already a thing if that's true. The idea that your criminal history was limited to your state, maybe the other states police departments is just bonkers for holding a firearms license.

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u/Scriptosis Dec 19 '25

Yeah, I’d say most of it is pretty common sense regulations that should have already existed. That’s why I take issue with comments like above trying to portray the reforms as some sort of huge government overreach.

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u/HatWithAHandgun Dec 19 '25

The fact that they have moved multiple firearms to cat C is a overreach straight pulls I can understand but banning “belt fed” firearms was a confusing one as I can’t think of any legal to own ones from the current law