The New South Wales parliament is set to be recalled in an emergency session next week, as the Minns Labor government moves to introduce urgent gun control legislation in the wake of the Bondi Junction massacre.
Pressure Mounts to Overhaul 'Genuine Reason' for Gun Ownership
In a significant push for reform, The Greens, independent MPs, and gun safety advocates are urging the government to remove recreational hunting as a "genuine reason" for owning firearms in the state. Such a change would likely lead to a dramatic reduction in the number of gun licences issued.
Greens MLC Sue Higginson stated the case bluntly, declaring, "New South Wales has a gun problem that we must now confront. We have over 1.1 million guns in this state, more than there were prior to the Port Arthur massacre." She argued for stricter controls on ownership, limits on the number of guns per person, and drawing "a line in the sand" on recreational hunting as justification.
This position is supported by a 12-point plan circulated by Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst and independent Alex Greenwich. Their proposals also include restrictions on storing firearms at home—except for work purposes—and tighter controls for individuals flagged for domestic violence. They suggest the family court should routinely order police to check the firearms registry and remove weapons from perpetrators.
Government's Proposed 'Toughest Gun Laws in Australia'
Premier Chris Minns is expected to unveil the government's plan for what it bills as "the toughest gun laws in Australia" this weekend. The parliament will sit on Monday and Tuesday to consider the urgent bill.
The proposed changes, as indicated by Minns, are expected to include:
- Limits on the number of firearms a single person can own.
- Restrictions on magazines that extend the shot capacity of shotguns.
- The introduction of a citizenship requirement for licence holders.
- More stringent and rigorous licence renewal processes.
Currently, NSW gun licences are valid for two to five years, but the renewal process does not involve a comprehensive reassessment of whether the holder remains a "fit and proper" person. The government is also considering abolishing appeals to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal when a gun licence is refused by police, though the scope of this change remains unclear.
Political Debate and Regional Concerns
Treasurer Daniel Mookhey noted that the issue of who can hold a licence is under active review, describing whether recreational hunting would be dropped as a genuine reason as "an issue of detail."
However, the government's accelerated timeline has faced some scepticism. Shadow Attorney General Alister Henskens expressed a desire for bipartisan cooperation but stated the opposition had not yet seen the proposed legislation. "Some of the changes Chris Minns has suggested around gun licensing is already in the legislation or can be done by regulation," he noted.
Leader of the NSW Nationals, Gurmesh Singh, emphasised the need to protect farmers and regional residents from any disproportionate impact. "Our farmers and primary producers must not be disadvantaged by the actions of terrorists," he said, while also cautioning against conflating gun reform with the separate need to eradicate the antisemitism that fuelled the Bondi attack.
Stephen Bendle, convener of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance (AGSA), argued that the "recreational hunting" category has led to a proliferation of guns and that new rules could allow legitimate pest control while improving public safety. "Times have changed and the firearms industry can no longer dictate what the rest of us think about firearm safety," he concluded.
